Three Generations Volunteer Expereince

IFRE and our in country coordinator Roger helped make our 3 generation volunteer opportunity a memorable life changing experience. My mother, daughter and myself traveled to Peru to work in the orphanage with teen moms and their children.

Host Family:
Roger met us at the airport and brought us to our host family right in Cusco. The host family he chose was a perfect fit. It was also a mom, grandma and daughter. Abuela and Memere ( my mom) hugged before we left each day as abuela told us to take care of her. The location and room were perfect for our family. We were able to walk to the town square as well as to the orphanage.

Volunteer Site:
We volunteered with teen moms and their children. It was our role to care for some of the children as the moms were at work or school. When the mom’s were there we would work alongside them and the director caring for the children. We were originally supposed to work in the morning but found there were more children and a greater need for us in the afternoon so we were able to switch our time.
Our only recommendation is that if you know you will be working with school aged children you have some spanish background before you arrive. We did, at times, struggle with this communication barrier.

In Country Coordinator:
We are grateful to Roger for his enthusiasm. It is evident that he loves his job and believes in the program he is a part of. He gave us basic background about the moms and children we were working with so we could further understand the circumstances and help in a meaningful way. He answered our questions quickly and with care.

He also gave us so much knowledge about Peru and Cusco. When we inquired about a specific landmark site he offered and took us to see it and gave us some added history as well. He was willing to help with any task.

I would recommend this program and organization to anyone.