Program Reviews

I had a blast teaching science classes for a summer camp with LLI! The children's center is a place that offers all types of classes from English to art and science. The kids are excited to learn and well behaved. I thoroughly enjoyed my placement working in the children's center, and I wish I could have spent longer here.

Not only is the organization focused on the education of children, but they also have programs with women and teens that blew me away. The organization offers cultural training, a welcoming (& fun!) volunteer house, and insight into a grassroots mission to lift a community from within. It was easy to adjust to life in Huaycan with the supportive staff and the daily meals shared together in the volunteer house. If you are looking to volunteer abroad, you will be extremely well supported here at LLI. The flexible schedule also gives you weekends where you will be able to travel and explore South America!

I cannot wait until I can come back to volunteer with the organization again!

I spent two weeks working with the Light and Leadership Institute (LLI) staff at the Teen Center and had a wonderful experience getting to know the teens and teaching science classes! The space itself is beautiful and empowering, and the classes offered a range from English & Science to Leadership courses. By providing resources and a supportive staff for the students, LLI creates a space for the teens to grow and express themselves in a safe, fun environment! Furthermore, the organization has other programs including a children's education program, a women's program, and a fair trade program, all of which share the same values. These programs are beautifully run and the tight-knit LLI community offers a lot of exposure and opportunity to collaborate and learn from other program volunteers and directors. Overall, I really enjoyed my time working at the Teen Center and interacting with both the staff and the students, and would highly recommend this group for anyone looking for an authentic, supportive volunteer experience in Huaycan, Peru.

I want to thank The Light and Leadership Initiative for placing education for kids and teens in Huaycán Peru and for letting me be part of the teaching, playing and reading for some time as a volunteer! It is important to me to volunteer in a place where there is a positive impact on the community and I strongly felt and saw it happened with LLI. Children in program and their families get enormous help for their living and education that increases wellbeing in the community. This was reflected in their cheerfulness and happiness, enthusiasm and insights in classroom and in sport field and in participation in many activities and not to mention in encounters when exploring the community.

I was taken good care from very beginning and was given excellent information beforehand and was greeted so warmly. I was given a clear arrival instructions and was taken care on arrival. Orientation was warm and super good. LLI leadership members had always time to talk and advise with warm and unhurried way. They also gave feedback and excellent teaching tips and hints to provide quality teaching and creative and motivating games. Living in a volunteer house gives you safety, new friends, exchanging thoughts with staff members and other volunteers and possibilities to plan your free time together. The safety in a house, trips and classrooms were taking in consideration absolutely well. I was told clearly about program fees which was rather low comparing to some others.

My time at LLI helped me develop professionally more than I expected. With LLI I realized it's not a question me to be good at my work but it's important how students receive my input in teaching or how I pass the joy of motivation and learning. In addition I gained so much by learning new insights myself, improving my knowledge of the culture, following work of Artisans' handcraft and simply sensing a genuine caring of others - both volunteers and people in Huaycán. My favourite part about my volunteer stay was when students had an idea or a new insight how the math problem was resolved in homework hour and when they were describing a story or drawing a picture according a book when reading in a library!

I'm sure you appreciate the opportunity to explore the brilliant web sites of LLI in advance! I miss lively students - everyone has his own personality -, fabulous friends, lovely happenings and delicious food! Happy time, highly recommending volunteering at LLI.

I found LLI a few months after graduating college while looking for an internship with a fair-trade fashion label, and ended up spending 5 months in 2017 working for Huaywasi. Huaywasi was born out of the success of the women's program of the Light and Leadership Initiative and involves 7 artisans, all women living in Huaycan.

The majority of my time with LLI was spent with Huaywasi and I am so grateful for this experience. I got the chance to know the artisans very closely, and spent time in their homes 2-3x a week working on patterns and samples for the upcoming collection. I became pretty close with a few of the women involved with Huaywasi and have come to think of them as family. While we were working we would talk about our families, our beliefs, relationships, friends, pets, work and art and so much more.

The one (hopeful) expectation I had before coming to work for Huaywasi was to see, no matter our backgrounds or the countries we reside in, that women have a sort of unwavering and intrinsic bond. I found this and more during my time with Huaywasi. There is a community here that transcends boundaries. LLI truly is a space for ethical cultural exchanges and that is one of the most beautiful things about volunteering abroad that you don't always find.

I returned back to Huaycan this year to do some more work with the artisans and spent some time talking with one of the woman who is involved both with Huaywasi and the women's program about the nature of LLI, and what it feels like to get to know so many different people from all over the world, albeit temporarily. And what she was saying to me was that it was a wonderful and enriching experience to get to know people, of all ages and from all over the world, and learn about our homes and different ways of lives.

So many of the volunteers come back after their time with LLI and I think that says a lot. This experience has an impact. And Lara has done a fantastic job ensuring that this program is for the community first, and for the volunteers second, which is the most important thing. The community in Huaycan is appreciative of the work LLI does and the volunteers of LLI have a really good reputation.

Furthermore, I really enjoyed my time living in the volunteer house. For most of my time, there were about 12-14 people living in the house and while there are definitely some struggles with living amongst this many people, we found ways to laugh it off and bonded over it. I made really close relationships with the volunteers and am still in contact with most of them.

I would highly recommend this experience to people of all ages, but especially to those who find themselves between graduating college and taking the first steps of your career. You will be humbled and empowered, as LLI truly does create leaders. This experience has given me more than I could put into words. Again, I am so grateful.

I flew from Madrid (Spain) to Lima and my first expectation was to stay two weeks in Huaycan volunteering in LLI, but after those first two weeks I decided to extend my time here two extra weeks as I felt that my time here had been too short and because the daily work performed by the volunteers had a real positive impact on the community.
I supported some primary positions (English, Art and Reading classes in the Kids Center) and also had time to help before (planning, scheduling...) and also during different events for the teens, such as the Olympics, science events, game shows, movies... I really enjoyed my time here, despite being -unfortunately- so short I tried to make the most of every day and I felt the affection and care not only from kids and teens, but also from the rest of volunteers. It is really like a small family and I am so pleased to have been part of it.
I really recommend everyone to volunteer with LLI, their work supporting Huaycan community is fantastic and they positively impact on kids education and their future development. That is why everyone here -parents and participants- show their gratitude for their time with them, which makes LLI an excellent initiative to invest your time.

During my time working for Huaywasi and the Women's Empowerment Program at LLI, I had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring and intelligent women, whether they were international volunteers, local volunteers, program participants, or artisans. This community inspired me to care deeply about the work I was given and go the extra mile even if it was not asked of me. Management in LLI allowed me to lead, grow, and expand on ideas in a way that made me feel like I was bringing true value to the program. I learned so many new skills that I am lucky enough to carry with me throughout my career just through feeling I was in a safe and supported environment to ask questions and to learn. If you would like to feel like your work matters and see real impact working with a small and welcoming community, LLI is the perfect program for you!

I am about three months into a year-long volunteer experience with LLI, and I already feel like I've grown more than I expected to before arriving. Personally, I am learning to be present and enthusiastically engage with people and circumstances totally different from those that I'm used to. And professionally, I am gaining so much from working with LLI! As the Teen Program Manager, I am developing my organizing skills, identifying and working to meet the needs of the community, and having the invaluable opportunity to work with a multi-cultural staff made up of people from various countries. The responsibility given to me could feel overwhelming, but since I've gotten here LLI has done a great job of finding the balance between giving me the space to make mistakes so that I can learn from them and support me along the way. I can't even imagine how much personal and professional growth I will have made after an entire year in this wonderful community with this exceptional NGO.

My experience at LLI is being wonderful. As the manager of the children's program, there are many responsibilities, but also opportunities to learn.
Sometimes it may seem difficult to live and work with the same people all week long, but it is much easier when it comes to people who are so professional and at the same time so valuable. The perfect combination of family, friends and co-workers
Huaycan can be a little overwhelming at first glance, but it is certainly a neighborhood that you can fall in love with easily. Its people, its community, the shops in the street ... everything widens your soul and teaches you something new.

I have worked as the Women's Empowerment Program Manager for the past 10 months in Huaycan, Lima, Peru. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this position and in this area. I have learned more than I thought possible about myself, my passions and abilities, my struggles and limitations, as well as Peruvian life, customs, and cultural dynamics. I was so grateful for this opportunity to get to know Huaycan and this country on a more intimate level, and will be forever thankful for LLI. Being a motivated, self-starter with flexibility and a real desire to incite positive change will take you so far in this position!

LLI has definitely been one of the best volunteer programs that I have been part of! I really enjoyed my time in Huaycan volunteering because with LLI I felt I was doing something important. The programs really fill a need in the community and volunteers are really needed and appreciated. Huaycan is a good place to really immerse yourself in the peruvian culture and also work with people from all over the world. I got so many new friends and met amazing kids and teens volunteering with LLI. I would totally recommend this program for anyone interested in volunteering in Peru!