Volunteer in Peru with Volunteering Solutions
Join a volunteer program in Peru with Volunteering Solutions! Volunteering in Peru is a great opportunity to learn about this amazing culture. Despite the popularity of Peru as a tourist destination, much of the population still lives in poverty, especially in rural areas. Volunteer opportunities include: marine life conservation, language courses, childcare in day care centers and with disabled children, teaching, orphanage work, as well as supporting abandoned street children. Visit the Volunteering Solutions website to learn more about these volunteer projects in Peru.
Reviews
100%Overall
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100%Overall
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I had such an incredible time in Peru. My daily routine began early in the morning as I arrived at work and helped the teacher prepare for her lesson. I always came home to a delicious lunch made by my host mother, and I spent the evenings relaxing with my family. On the weekends I saw the night life, went shopping in open-air markets, and hiked through Machu Picchu. I will never forget this trip, and I cannot wait to go back to visit my host family again.
Critical Feedback:
I would have liked to been given a more formal orientation session about the little details of living in a new place: how and when to use electricity, who to call in case of an emergency, the locations of the embassies, and other things like that.
100%Overall
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VS Staff always helpful and quick in responding e-mails. I thoroughly enjoyed my program placement and the kids and the women in the day care were very sympathetic and open to our inputs, games, etc. The accommodation was very nice and clean. I felt very secure and my host family made me feels the part of their family. The food was delicious and a nice overview of Peruvian food. I would surely recommend Volunteering Solutions to people who are looking to volunteer work abroad and I am convinced and this experience might influence my future career.
100%Overall
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The overall working of the website is very good and it was really very easy to navigate. The staff was also very efficient in replying to my questions I had before applying with Volunteering Solutions. I also enjoyed working at my placement as it is been a very rewarding experience and I value the memories i have made. The children were great and I managed to connect with them despite not knowing much Spanish. The host families have been very accommodating. Food has been good. Overall my stay has been very enjoyable.
90%Overall
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I had the opportunity to volunteer in cuzco,Peru for six weeks, in La Escuela Don Jose de San Martin, a special-ed school.
Words can not express the happiness I felt there,not only i the school, where I was surrounded by special kids, their pure-loving souls, but to also in the voluteer house, where I felt loved by Luisa, our personal cook and 'Peruvian Mother' .
The program itself is GREAT.Jenny (local coordinator) is extremely helpfull, she answerd all my questions, and offerd me more things ( I am a Hospital Clown , she invited me to go to hospitals) and was attentive thout all rhe programm.
100%Overall
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Volunteering solutions really made sure that I was taken well cared for while at Cusco, Peru. The accommodations were clean, comfortable, and very nice! The family I stayed with were very friendly and very interested in the activities I did while I was out volunteering. The food was amazing as well.
I volunteered with a travel clinic. It consisted of two trucks that each contained three offices inside. I traveled with a dentist, nurse, doctor, phlebotomist, and an obstetrician. Together, we would set up our clinic in various areas of the city and care for the locals. It was an amazing experience. I felt like I was being given a tour of the city sights every time we moved to a new location.
At the end of my trip, the team and I grew close enough that they all took me to lunch and then dropped me off at the airport on my last day. It was a sad time when I left but I have fond memories. I would love to volunteer with them again.
Alumni Interviews
Meet Rebecca Ceremuga, Volunteering Solutions - Peru alum
Rebecca Ceremuga is from Rapid City, South Dakota and is currently a freshman at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology studying Mechanical Engineering. She participated in the Volunteers Solutions program in Cuzco, Peru from June 2, 2012 through June 9, 2012. She enjoys cooking, running, hiking and spending time with family and friends.
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with Volunteering Solutions in Peru?
Rebecca: My family chose to participate in the Volunteer Solutions program in Peru because we had never been to Peru, knew there was a lot of need in the area, and wanted to visit Machu Picchu.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Rebecca: My part in the volunteer program was to help in a kindergarten. Two of my sisters and myself helped a teacher and her 30 young kids every day for a week. Our day typically started at about nine o'clock in the morning and finished at 12:30. We would assist the students in completing their daily assignment as well as play with them during their free time outside. We also taught them a few words in English: red, green, and yellow. Teaching them these colors served a specific purpose; the third day we taught them how to play the game, "stoplight". This was a fun activity for them as it proved that they had met the objective of the English we had taught them. The kids loved when we read books to them or played ring-a-round-the-rosy. On one of the days, we brought them all fruit snacks as a snack - it was amazing to see how excited they became when we told them we had a present for them. Another day we brought bottles of lotion and put lotion on the kids' dry faces and hands. It was absolutely heartwarming to see them get so excited over something like lotion that kids in the United States take for granted.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
Rebecca: This volunteering experience was very special and something that I will always remember. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to go to a poor country where the people have such great need and to be able to help them, even if it was only a tiny fraction of the entire population of Peru. I was thrilled to be able to practice my Spanish with both the teacher and the kids that I volunteered with. When we arrived on the first day, the kids were nervous around us and weren't too excited about us being involved in their classroom. However, by the end of that first day, their attitudes had changed 180 degrees. They didn't want us to leave and simply couldn't wait to come back to school the next day because they knew that we would be there. Leaving on our last day at the school was very emotional. The kids didn't quite comprehend that it was our final day and that we wouldn't be there when they came to school on Monday. They threw a party for us; we played music and did a lot of dancing. They also gave myself and my sisters a key chain with a Peruvian figurine on the end of it; every time I look at this present I am reminded of the amazing experience I had in Peru with the young kids from the kindergarten.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Rebecca: The Volunteer Solutions program that I was a part of in Peru has definitely changed my outlook on the future. I plan on returning to South America many times so I can volunteer more and impact more peoples' lives. My experience in Cuzco was amazing and I look forward to being able to be apart of another volunteering mission trip. With biomedical engineering as my future career, I hope to be able to travel to poor countries and use my expertise in the biomedical engineering field to better the lives of many.
Anna McCorquodale - Volunteer Alum in Peru
Anna McCorquodale is from Austin Texas. She's studying anthropology and spent all of last june in Cusco Peru. She loves spicy food, dogs and hiking.
Where: Cusco, Peru
When: July 2011
What: Youth Development with Volunteering Solutions
Morning: Each morning I woke up with my fellow volunteers and host family to each a breakfast of tea and delicious bread with jam and butter. I then rushed off to catch the combi (bus) with my friend who was also working in the same program. We rode the bus to a stop about two blocks away from the school we worked in. We then spent the morning singing songs, playing games outside and doing arts and crafts with the 30 or so children in the school. The teacher along with mothers of some of the students would explain to us the plan for the day and we would help make it happen. Then sometime between noon and one, we would set up and then clean up their lunches, and head back to our host family's house.
Afternoon: The afternoons started with an amazing (and enormous) lunch made by our host mother. Our host sister came home from school in time for lunch and we all ate together. The family then returned to their school/job and we had the afternoon to go to the store, internet cafe or tour around the beautiful town of Cusco. Most often we took a combi into the center of the city and explored the city.
Evening: In the evening we spent most nights at home with our family watching television, drinking tea and playing fiercely competitive card games. Usually our host mother would leave food out for us to eat for dinner but they rarely ate at night and we got used to not eating much at dinner. The nights we did go out were so much fun! Usually our host brother (who was around our age) would escort us to clubs or events happening in the center of town but gave us plenty of space. It was nice to know we had someone who could help us get home if we needed help, but didn't hover. We spent the month of June in Peru so we were able to witness both the Inti Raymi and Corpus Christi celebrations which spoke volumes about the role of Inca and Christian cultures in Cusco today.
Highlights: The highlight of my volunteering experience is easily connecting with the students of the school I worked in. Even with my flawed Spanish, I was able to communicate with most of the students easily. It was honestly hard to leave the school after only a month of working there. The highlight of my experience overall was definitely my host family. I feel so lucky to have meet such a hospitable and loving family. I still keep in touch after a little over a year since my trip because I don't think I will be able to forget how they shaped my trip. It sounds cheesy but they felt like family. They recommended places to go, gave lots of advice on how to get good deals and didn't hesitate to help when I got sick. I am so grateful.
Meet George Ceremuga, Volunteering Solutions - Peru alum
George Ceremuga is a family physician working for the US Public Health Service. He enjoys the outdoors and medical missionary trips with his children to Central and South America.
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Volunteering Solutions in Peru?
George: We chose Volunteering Solutions as they were very responsive in our needs for a family missionary trip to Cusco.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
George: Day to day activity for the medical folks was working in medical clinics assisting with Obstetrical patients and giving immunizations in well child clinics. We took the bus or taxi's to our clinics each day.
Others worked with kindergarten children and worked from 0900-1300 each day. They helped them learn English and played many games with them.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
George: The people were very kind and appreciative. It was very humbling to work with such kind people. We felt very comfortable and welcome in Cusco. The trip to Machu Pichu was absolutely breathtaking and very spiritual.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
George: I will continue to serve on medical missionary trips. I have learned contentment and living each day fully.
Meet Sharon Umayam, Volunteering Solutions alum
Sharon Umayam is from Dededo, Guam and currently works as a registered nurse in San Francisco, CA. She volunteered in Peru on August of 2009 and in Thailand in February 2012. She loves playing with her dogs at the beach,spending time with family, journal writing, and inventing new dance moves when no one is looking.
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer abroad with Volunteering Solutions in Peru and Thailand?
Sharon: I chose Volunteering Solutions because they had received many positive reviews from past volunteers, they were affordable, and their projects were sustainable.
My first mission with VS took me to Peru. I chose Peru for two reasons: 1) The city was built around ancient Incan ruins and 2) I wanted to practice my Spanish. The people were friendly and, even as a female who traveled alone, I felt very safe. In this mission, I volunteered as a nurse and was fortunate to be assigned to a travel-clinic. We cared for many types of people, from students at nearby universities to natives high up in the remote villages of the Andes Mountains. During this trip I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the ancient Incan ruins at Machu Pichu.
My second mission took me to Thailand. I chose Thailand for several reasons, the main ones being 1) I wanted to volunteer with children who were victims of AIDS and the sex trade and 2) I have a passion for Asian Elephants and I wanted to spend time with them. This mission took me to an orphanage located in a small village surrounded by rice-paddies. It was beautiful. The children were 3-18 years of age, extremely positive and taught me one of life's greatest lessons, "Never to focus on someone's past, but rather their future and their potential." While there I was fortunate enough to be able to ride a beautiful elephant, bare-back, up a mountain. After the long hike, we had a water fight on the river before returning home.
Both were incredible experiences. The missions were extremely satisfying and the activities that were available to the volunteers during our free-time were amazing.
The accommodations were fantastic during both trips. Each day I would wake up and have time to get ready. A native cook would make the volunteers a tasty local meal. Then I, along with the other volunteers, would go off to our assigned locations. The persons in charge of each location would give us our assignments and we'd spend the rest of our day (6-8 hours) having fun carrying out that assignment. Assignments included educating patients about health issues, painting a mural at the orphanage, helping the kids with homework, creating obstacle-courses for the children to challenge each other with, and assisting the cooks with meals.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer?
Sharon: Both volunteer missions started of with an orientation to the country's culture, language, advice on how to stay safe & how to get around with the public transportation, and suggestions of places to see before leaving. The orientations were thorough and very useful.
The accommodations were fantastic during both trips. Each day I would wake up and have time to get ready. A native cook would make the volunteers a tasty local meal. Then I, along with the other volunteers, would go off to our assigned locations. The persons in charge of each location would give us our assignments and we'd spend the rest of our day (6-8 hours) having fun carrying out that assignment. Assignments included educating patients about health issues, painting a mural at the orphanage, helping the kids with homework, creating obstacle-courses for the children to challenge each other with, and assisting the cooks with meals.
During the night, the volunteers would retire and share stories about our days. The days would be exhausting but also very satisfying.
GO: What advice do you have for future volunteers?
Sharon: Advice I have would be to 1) be prepare to fall in-love with the people of each country 2) Pack lightly because you will end up leaving with lots of souvenirs 3) Bring a camera and take lots of pictures 4) Bring comfortable shoes 5) Have fun!
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
Sharon: These trips have impacted me in many ways. I am much more appreciative of the hardships people go through. I am much more amazed at the resilience of children. I am much more open to the cultural differences of people. Most of all, I am more inspired to want less and to give more because the people that I worked with (patients and children) have taught me how to give unconditionally.
Further Info
About Volunteering Solutions
Since Volunteering Solutions started operations in 2007, it now has volunteer programs in 20 different countries throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa. Volunteering Solutions is dedicated to providing true, reasonably priced and meaningful volunteer programs around the world. Volunteering Solutions aims to promote volunteer work in countries that need it the most by connecting the right people in right projects abroad. With such a wide variety of projects around the world, there is sure to be something for everyone.
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I volunteered at Cusco, Peru in 2009. This was my first volunteer experience with volunteering solutions.It was also the first time I traveled alone. I had such an amazing time and am so happy that I did it, despite my fears.
The house that I stayed at was shockingly nice! I stayed with a family in a two story home. They were very friendly and helpful. They cooked great food every day and made sure that I never went hungry.
The clinic I volunteered with was a travel clinic. Every day we would meet at the same place and then travel to the remote villages in the Andes Mountain. We would give care to the beautiful people in those villages. It was amazing! We would work from Monday to Friday. Then on Friday afternoon, we would end early @ 1100. At this time, the whole city would meet at the fields to play soccer. I loved it!
Cusco it self was an incredible city full of incredible architecture. It was amazing to be standing in a city with architecture that dates back to the Incan Empire. The highlight of my sight seeing was visiting Machu Picchu. UNBELIEVABLE!
Critical Feedback:
I went during the Non-peek season. At one point, I was the only volunteer in the home. I went during the month of July. I would suggest researching peek times so that you will be able to socialize with other volunteers. On the other hand, I made many local friends and had an amazing time with them.