A worthwhile endeavour

I’m Tom from Ireland and I volunteered with SKIP for the first six months of 2017. It was my first time in South America and my first time to teach a class of children, but I was better able to face these new experiences with the support of SKIP’s volunteer leaders and staff.

I was struck by the camaraderie of the volunteers – encouraged in no small part by the volunteer leaders – which made it a pleasure to be part of the volunteering team. There were volunteers from all over the world, and everyone had a valuable contribution to make; regular family dinners served as a reminder of this.

My time at SKIP also offered possibilities to learn Spanish. Between lessons taken with a local language school, time spent with a local host family, a conversation club organised by a volunteer leader, and of course day-to-day activities at the SKIP centre, there was no shortage of opportunities for me to improve my Spanish skills.

At the end of the day, SKIP is about ensuring that children get access to a good quality education, and the knowledge that you have contributed to this worthwhile goal is something that will stay with you long after you have returned home.

All of these things together helped me get the most I could from my volunteering experience, while also giving the best I could of myself. If you're looking for a way to develop your skills, make friends and experience Peruvian language and culture, all while helping to provide much-needed and much-deserved educational opportunities, you'd be hard-pressed to find an organisation that balances these things as well as SKIP.