Peru Volunteer Programs from $23/day | Most Affordable & Trusted

My Son and I decided to go volunteer in a dog shelter in Peru. The most difficult thing for me was that, my best friend Pinotte (my dog), passed away just a week before I left to Peru. Just before taking the plane my Father told me ''Christine, now; do not come back home with a dog!'' I responded ''No way, no one can replace my Pinotte and I am done attaching my self... It hurts to much''. And up we went my Son and I.

As soon as we put my foot at the shelter, we knew that this program was the perfect fit for both of us. It was amazing! All the help we provided was appreciated.

Volunteers brings so much to this program it is unbelievable. Every minute was worthwhile.

Thank you IVHQ to have provided us this opportunity.

p.s.: We came back home, not with another dog but TWO! We call them Amour and Skyppy! They are both awesome dogs and they adapted immediately to the Canadian world!

Christine and Lorenzo

I had recently finished graduate school and had a career break this summer. Traveling internationally and volunteering abroad is something that I have always been passionate about. My parents had instilled this in me from an early age and I thought now would be a good time to instill this in my own son. After talking with a representative from IVHQ they assured me that volunteering with my son was completely plausible (and encouraged) and that we would be safe at all times. My six year old son and I decided to travel to Cusco, Peru for three weeks where we worked at a local preschool, part of a childcare program. It was absolutely amazing. It was a great experience for my son to be able to interact with kids his own age from a different culture. I loved working with the children as well! On weekends we had time to explore, hike, and tour nearby cities. We stayed with a host family that was a perfect fit for us. They had a four year old son that my son enjoyed playing with. My son even picked up a lot of Spanish just talking and playing with the children there. The local staff team was always kind and ready to help us if we needed it, but the organization prepared everything so well for us that we rarely ever needed anything else. I encourage anyone (child or no child) to travel through IVHQ. I was thoroughly impressed with all of their services and their support.

I've never been abroad alone, so this was a great start! I met so many people and it was only a 2 week stay but it was a trip of a lifetime. I really felt I made a difference even by making one of the kids smile or laugh. I cant wait to do it again.
There was a room of children with severe conditions. One day, I was asked to help with physical therapy. These children are unable to speak, so it was a different kind of connection I felt when I was holding them. The gratitude I felt to be able to help them was tremendous. It was truly a reality check of how lucky I am.

Traveling with IVHQ was a decision I decided to pursue because of a friend's recommendation. I had heard great things and found that the price was the perfect fit for me to make my desire to travel South America come true. It all happened very quickly but IVHQ's quick response to all the questions I had from travel insurance to homestay accommodations quickly eased my anxiety about committing to something so quickly. I followed all of their suggestions on how to prepare for the trip and it all really does make you feel like you're 100% ready to embark on a journey abroad.

Once in Peru everything worked out so smoothly, I had nothing to do but enjoy my experience there. From the moment I landed, I was meeting new people. I got a folder with all the information I needed to get ready for the two weeks I signed up for. My only regret is not signing up for longer because my time in Cusco, Peru was such a beautiful and surprising experience full of unforgettable moments with some of the most genuine people I have yet to meet. I was excited to travel abroad but what I experienced was far more than anything IVHQ could've prepared me for. It was full of adventure, love and most importantly volunteering.

My placement for teaching english allowed me to feel confident in my skills but also gave me so much room to grow and learn from the others surrounding me. I signed up for two weeks and felt like I had gained so much experience. I really cannot imagine what it would've been like if I had chosen to be there for a extended amount of time.

I thoroughly enjoyed volunteering in Cusco, Peru for the medical program. I worked at Centro del Salud en Chinchero for the month as a medical student and I learned so much about their healthcare including things that need to be improved on. The mentality of healthcare is very different than in the United States such as the importance of hygiene, sterility and preventive medicine. Many of the Quechuan speaking women live hours away from the clinic and wake up early morning to begin their walk. Many of them cannot afford medications. I remember I had donated some medications to this 78 year old Quechuan speaking woman and she was ever so grateful. It made me so glad that I decided to volunteer here because even though we did not understand one another, her smile resonated the room. In addition, watching the little toddlers walk around barefoot in the clinic broke my heart a little because providing shoes was not a priority to their families. There are so many diseases that could be prevented if they had the tools and resources to implement these changes. I am glad that I did this volunteering experience because I will cherish the memories and treat my patients with the top care necessary to prevent the illnesses I saw within my volunteering experience. I hope I can volunteer again because I want to continue impacting others as they have done for me. Thank you for the experience.

I traveled with a group of 13 other friends from my university to volunteer with Maximo Nivel's medical campaign in Cusco, Peru. Only one of fourteen had formal medical training, and we were only going to have five days of volunteering ... so I wasn’t really sure how much of an impact we’d help make on the communities we’d work in.

Just in the first day of our medical campaign, however, that doubt was broken. Despite our group's lack of medical training and short time in country, our group took the initiative to learn from the doctor to provide screens of patients’ health statuses and support one another in running an efficient, educational, and impactful medical campaign.

We saw nearly 200 patients in just our first morning – many of whom would not otherwise visit the doctor due to lack of insurance and/or money to do so. By the week's end, we had seen around 1,000 patients. I had never imagined we'd be able to make such big impact, but we couldn't have done that without the awesome support and friendliness of the Maximo Nivel staff.

Especially if you'd be traveling with a group, the medical campaign is a great way to meet locals, practice your Spanish, get practice with basic medical screening, and make positive impact in lives of so many people. And the scenery, culture, adventures and people in and around Cusco are some of the best you'll ever meet.

In Peru, I was very scared to eat a lot of the food, especially outside of the house. I had a fear of getting sick by eating something bad. Well just my luck, even trying to be safe i managed to get a bad case of food poisoning. I had a fever for three days, i couldn't keep any food in my system for longer than five minutes, and i mainly stayed in bed for those few days. But this story isn't about me being sick it is about the treatment i received while i was sick. My program director Chelsey was in contact with me the whole time, she was sending well wishes, and contacting the teacher of the daycare that i was at. But she also arranged for the doctor to come and see me. He gave me a prescription and said i needed antibiotics to clear this up. I wasn't going to die but in a foreign country being sick is so much harder, and scarier. I appreciate everything that was done for me, and i didn't feel so far from home with the care i received.

Lima Peru was my first volunteering experience abroad and I can't express how much this experience has impacted me. Whilst in Peru I had the pleasure of working with the children at the orphanage. At first I felt a little overwhelmed but the staff and the other volunteers soon made me feel much at ease, and seeing the children smile made me feel very blessed to have been given the opportunity to work with them. I assisted in phycology, where we arranged activities for the children. Despite the language barrier (which was soon broken) over the course of the two weeks I was able to see the progression that I had made with the children. Peru soon became my home away from home thanks to the other volunteers and the staff. The other volunteers were like my family, and I take comfort in knowing that I have made friends from all Corners of the earth. There's many things to do in Peru, whilst there myself and other volunteers took a trip to Haucachina ,a great weekend sandboarding. My time in Peru helped me step out of my comfort zone, meet new people and help make a difference. I've learnt so much more than what I thought possible, coming away with great gratitude. If you are hesitant about volunteering, just do it! It's true what they say, it really does change your life.