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Volunteer Peru

volunteer-in-peruProgram summary:

Project:                        Community projects in Peru
Price:                            From $2,295
Accommodation:       Host Family
Location:                      Cusco or Lima
Eligibility:                      New Zealand or Australian passport holder, Aged 18+
Duration:                      4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks

The Project

Highlights

Project options

Teaching English

Work in a school in Cusco or Lima and make a real contribution to the education of underprivileged children

How you can help

Why your help is needed

Volunteers on this project are able to make a real contribution to the educational development of Peruvian children.

Classes in the schools that IEP works with tend to be overcrowded and schools often have limited educational resources, meaning the support that volunteers offer teachers is highly valued. The additional support means that more attention can be paid to pupils, improving their education and ultimately their prospects for the future.

Volunteers assist local teachers with English lessons, which might involve taking classes themselves, and are heavily involved in preparing lesson plans and marking children’s work. Being able to speak English is an enormously useful skill in Peru, but although the volunteer’s primary role is teaching English they can also get involved in teaching other subjects such as Maths or IT.

In addition to this, volunteers are welcome to introduce or help with extra curricular activities, from arts and crafts, dance and music, to sports days and football matches. This means that volunteers are able to make a number of contributions to the schools in which they are based.
Teaching in underprivileged schools can be extremely rewarding for volunteers who love working with children and want to make a real difference in the developing world. Opportunities are available in educational projects from pre-school up to high school education.

Work in a crèche

Play with and care for underprivileged children in a busy crèche in Peru

How you can help

Why your help is needed

Working in a local crèche in Lima or Cusco, volunteers help care for children from underprivileged backgrounds.

The crèches often have to operate with minimal resources and are without the financial support to employ sufficient numbers of staff, so the contribution made by volunteers in providing children with attention, nurture and care is highly valued.

Volunteers immediately get involved in all aspects of the day-to-day running of the crèches. As well as playing with, caring for and feeding children, they assist with providing basic education and are free to come up with their own ideas and initiatives in order to help children learn and develop.

Lively and enthusiastic volunteers are welcomed by the crèches and as the project gives them the chance to make a genuine and hugely rewarding contribution to the lives of Peruvian children from extremely difficult backgrounds.

Health care

Help Peruvian doctors in local communities

How you can help

Provide support in some or all of the following areas of medicine:

Why your help is needed

The healthcare system in Peru is one of the most underfunded in South America. Financial restrictions and a severe lack of resources mean that hospitals often face huge challenges, particularly in remote parts of the country. Volunteers on this project provide much-needed support in medical centres.

The centres see on average 40 patients per day and offer facilities including laboratories, pharmacies, nurseries, emergency rooms for minor surgery and delivery rooms. Volunteers provide highly valued support in a number of areas of medical practice, and as they never know who is going to walk through the door there is no ‘typical day’ and responsibilities are extremely varied.

The project gives volunteers a rare chance to see the realities of Peruvian life and to witness the true challenges the country faces. For volunteers, this serves as huge motivation while they are working on the project.

Animal shelter

Help look after mistreated or abused animals in Peru

How you can help

Why your help is needed

Volunteers work at the Camposanto Santa Rosa zoo near Lima. The 113 hectare shelter was established in 1998 to home illegally possessed animals that had been rescued by the Peruvian police and the National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA).

The refuge is now home to 200 animals, many of which were wild animals that had been captured and kept as pets. Returning these animals to the wild could not be considered as doing so might have put them in further danger, risking their health and welfare. For this reason, the shelter was established in order to give such animals a place to live.

Camels, deer and numerous other mammals, reptiles and birds are now cared for in the shelter, and an artificial island at the centre of the 2.8 hectare lagoon has been built to provide a beautiful home for native birds. Since 1998, more and more animals have been brought to the shelter and it has had to be heavily developed since its establishment.

Volunteers provide much-needed support in the shelter, getting involved in all aspects of looking after the animals. This includes feeding the animals, assisting with vaccinations and cleaning the enclosures. They also assist in the maintenance and general day-to-day running of the centre. The project offers a real opportunity to help vulnerable animals that have been victims of human interference in the natural world.

How long can I go for? Our Volunteer Peru placements last 4, 6, 8 or 12 weeks and include a two-day arrival orientation.

Working hours: 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

Eligibility: New Zealand or Australian passport holder, Aged 18+
Basic Spanish is required. Find out about IEP’s Spanish courses