Volunteer Abroad Tours in Peru

I have done multiple solo volunteer travels in the last year, and this has been my favorite by far. Peru is a beautiful country, full of rich culture, history, and amazing people.

I have a background in medicine and work at cancer hospital, and I really enjoyed my experience at my volunteer placement. I signed up for a week trip to visit Cusco for a childcare project. I was placed at a pediatric oncological unit, where kids are unfortunately not able to visit with their families daily for various reasons. They are in isolation given their conditions, so there is a need to have volunteers be their support system during that time. It was truly an amazing experience. These kids are so special.

Cusco is a very safe city, but basic common sense and precautions are needed for anyone traveling alone to any country. It was so fun exploring the different neighborhoods, Machu Picchu (will need 1 full day to visit), and other surrounding areas. There's so much to do.

I signed up with GVN (global volunteer network), but was primarily in contact with the local support staff of a sister company Maximo Nivel. The staff was wonderful and always available for support.

If planning a trip to Machu Picchu, I would highly recommend researching different companies to visit it with. The company I was referred to, World Wide Excursions, was ok but quite a bit more expensive compared to other companies. And my experience was not as great, considering the tour guide I paid for never showed up to give me a tour.

The price is also considerably less with GVN, compared to other organizations out there. They're organized, and I truly felt safe with Maximo Nivel as well. My homestay family was also wonderful and thoughtful. The homestay had internet and was in a safe area of Cusco.

Overall, I highly recommend volunteering with GVN and Maximo Nivel.

On their website GVN claims that the overwhelming number of negative reviews they get come from those who never participated in their programs or were done by competing volunteer organizations. Well, I am a regular person, a registered nurse, I might add, who has extensively travelled and participated in other volunteer projects in the developing countries.
I HAVE volunteered in a medical program offered by GVN and managed by Maximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru in August 2015. And by far, it was the worst volunteer experience I've ever had, it lacked structure, involvement and supervision by GVN. The concerns reported by me and other volunteers were not addressed, GVN and Maximo Nivel took little to no responsibility for their failure to deliver what they signed people up for. The total cost of the program was $765 for a week. There are much cheaper volunteer programs out there... hell, there are free ones out there!
During the orientation, they offered free t-shirts for positive reviews and "likes" on Facebook. If your level of integrity was what you say it is, you would not have to ask for praise, your Goodness would be undeniable.
I wish I had known better, but I guess it was a learning experience. So my suggestion is read, do research before you sign up with these guys. Make an informed decision. And good luck impacting lives <3
Olessia :)
#dontmakemeshowyoumystethoscope

My time in the rainforest is something I'll remember for the rest of my life. Living and working with a fantastic group of volunteers at the Atalaya reserve was an incredible experience. The seclusion of this project really gives you a chance to form deeper and closer bonds with your fellow volunteers, the program leaders, and also the people in the towns nearby. It really does become a home away from home! You also feel a lot closer to nature in those conditions; open air bungalows, no electricity or hot water, etc. I thought this project would just be a lot of hard outdoor labour, but it turned out to be so much more. Yes, the majority of days would see us hiking steep trails with machetes and pickaxes to plant saplings, or hacking away at bamboo, but we also spent time learning about the rainforest, taking trips in to town, hiking to waterfalls and the swimming hole, reading absurd amounts of novels, eating basic but delicious food, playing round after round of card games, and just having a wonderful time with amazing friends. I wouldn't change anything about my time in the Amazon, it was everything I thought it would be and more :)

I didn't prepare myself well enough for my task to help the girls with their homework. Like helping them with maths to which there are methods to make them understand their sums better. And I ended up just sitting there trying in my own method instead. I introduced them creative arts and craft using materials I got from the retail shops like making their own headbands and things they could used after they completed the projects. My arts and craft projects were very popular with my 'little angels' to the extend of distracting them from finishing their homework. I had to make sure they finished their homework first before my art and craft sessions by sitting around without much help to do their homework.

I volunteered with 10 others in orphanage, community centers, and poor villages. The impact on the local peoples and community is huge. The impact may not be realized for years to come, but such huge change does not happen overnight. GVN has its goals in the right place.....stop the cycle of poverty beginning with children and put emphasis on their nutrition and education. The team I worked with were all so committed and everyone worked extremely well together. I think we all felt like we made a tremendous difference in so many lives.