Why did you decide to volunteer with IVHQ in Peru?
Tanya: I was looking for something exciting yet meaningful to do during my summer break from school. I didn´t want to spend another summer just sitting around the pool or working some lame summer job, so my father suggested I look into volunteering so that I could travel with a purpose.
I did a lot of online research about different organizations but IVHQ stood out as an affordable option with many exciting possibilities around the world. So many of the volunteering organizations were charging way above my student budget, but IVHQ was very reasonable. I chose Peru because the programs they offered really piqued my interest and I loved the option of Spanish classes to improve my communication skills with the Peruvians I was working alongside.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Tanya: I was able to do a few different volunteer activities since I was there for 5 weeks so my daily activities varied which was nice. The schedule was usually quite constant, a few hours in the morning were spent working in the volunteer positions (usually about 9am-12pm), then I would head to the Maximo Nivel building (the company who is partnered with IVHQ in Peru) where I could meet up with new friends to eat a delicious lunch packed by my host mother. I then chose to have a few hours of Spanish lessons but I also had the option of using the time to explore Cusco with other volunteers. Sometimes in the evening there were planned activities such as parties for the volunteers or I would spend time with my host family. On the weekends there were often trips planned for the volunteers which I would definitely recommend!
Most important was the time spent actually volunteering. I started off working at a hospital where I did my best to entertain and provide basic counseling to patients who may have been feeling sad, frustrated or just downright bored as there were hardly any sources of entertainment at the hospital. I brought games to play with the kids, or coloured or read with them and with the adults I listened as they spoke about their lives or I provided some insight into what life in Canada is like.
My next endeavor was to work with impoverished children who lived in a very remote area in the mountains. Along with the other volunteers I spent the day teaching the little ones Spanish (numbers, shapes, alphabet) and the older children basic English. We also taught them other important things such as the importance of hygiene (i.e. brushing their teeth and washing their hair and faces) and played sports and games with them to teach them the value of teamwork.
My third experience was a jungle conservation project where I got to spend a week at a remote jungle lodge planting medicinal gardens, taking inventory of wild animals in the area and forging hiking paths through the Amazon jungle!
What made this volunteer experience unique and special?
Tanya: I feel like I experienced more in 5 weeks than many people experience in a lifetime. I adapted to a new culture and lifestyle very different from my own, I formed ties with other volunteers that are still strong to this day and I had the opportunity to learn that even those who can´t afford to donate hundreds of dollars to charity can still make a huge impact in the lives of others. IVHQ really facilitated every step of the process and were extremely organized and professional, making the experience all the more enjoyable.