Alumni Spotlight: Lieke van Son

My sister and I really wanted to go to South America, and after a few tough decisions we knew that Peru would be the best place to go. We searched the web for an independent volunteering organization and found VolunteeringPeru in Cusco pretty fast. So we contacted Agnes (the head of this organization) and were pleasantly surprised that she is Dutch so we could talk in our own language. She's really sweet and we got along quite well. She picked us up from the bus station in Cusco and we stayed with Carlos Rojas and his family.

We worked in a center for (mentally and physically) disabled children. Our main task was to entertain the children. We bought crayons and stickers and helped them draw, play outside, read stories etc. We even helped organize a trip to the swimming pool once! It was great and I'm positively sure that they all loved it as it was a quite unique experience for them. Beside that we did simple chores such as cleaning, helping with serving dinner and getting them ready for bed.

It is a wonderful feeling to know that you helped, even if it was just for a little bit. And it wasn't by just working. The home we stayed in was very warm and welcoming. Carlos and his family recommended great tourist attractions. The family members and other residents were all very friendly and involved. I made a lot of friends while staying there. Also the country is just perfectly beautiful to visit. All together it was really a unique life experience!

It made me look a little differently at the world. Like I said helping others feels just great and this whole trip made me realize just how badly I want to see the rest of the world. I want to travel again and meet new people, help in more places . I would recommend everyone I know now to do volunteering work at least once in their life. I definitely want to go back to Cusco one day and do more volunteering.