VOLUNTEER IN PERU - CUSCO
International Volunteer HQ’s partner NGO in Cusco - Peru requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in jungle conservation, teaching English, childcare work, medical work, construction and renovation work in the ancient Peruvian city of Cusco and surrounding valleys.
LOCATION OF PERU- CUSCO VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
IVHQ has volunteer placements in Cusco and surrounding valleys. Cusco is one of the oldest cities in South America and close to the tourist Mecca of Machu Picchu. This town is extremely popular with volunteers and has a lot of work available.
START AND DURATION OF PERU- CUSCO VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Volunteers can begin our Cusco placements on the first and third Monday of every month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to six months.
PERU- CUSCO VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating in the MEDICAL PLACEMENT must have appropriate training and certification (to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Peru).
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
We recommend that all volunteers regardless of their Spanish language ability (unless they are extremely fluent), take advantage of the very affordable Spanish lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our program staff in Peru. Past volunteer feedback has shown us that volunteers feel they can contribute far more with some Spanish ability. Spanish is NOT a prerequisite for our Cusco program, however on certain placements (such as medical placements) the level of work a volunteer can do will be restricted with limited Spanish. Our local staff in Cusco offer hugely discounted Spanish lessons to our volunteers and a wide variety of options (one on one learning, group classes and a local student language exchange). More details on these options are provided when a volunteer registers.
PERU - CUSCO VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING ENGLISH
Cusco is the tourism capital of South American and therefore the majority of Cusquenan children will tell you that they want to be a tourist guide when they grow up. They are also aware that this dream requires a high level of English and are therefore very excited to learn English with native speakers. The ability to speak English gives local children a genuine opportunity to support themselves and find work on completing their education, as tourism forms an integral part of the local economy. Volunteers will work in local schools, community centers and shelters for street children. Work varies but generally consists of providing tutoring to local students, setting up small workshops, assisting local teachers and organizing educational games and activities. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
CHILDCARE WORK
The aim of our childcare program is to provide individual attention and assistance to children from difficult backgrounds. Many children at the projects we work with do not receive the level of affection and education that they deserve, and volunteers therefore play an important role in working alongside local staff to improve the educational, emotional, and hygiene conditions of the children. Volunteers will work in orphanages, community centers, daycare centers, schools and kindergartens. Work varies but generally consists of providing individual attention, sharing affection with children, playing with children, organizing games and activities, educating children regarding hygiene and assisting with home work.
JUNGLE CONSERVATION
The objective of this project is one of ecological restoration - the process of re-establishing an ecosystem that has been degenerated, damaged or destroyed. The project has a number of different phases so each individual volunteer will form part of a much bigger picture. Volunteers will work in the local jungles and ecological reserves located in the valleys surrounding Cusco. Volunteer activities vary but generally involve removing non-native plant species, planting and re-introducing native plant species, assisting with inventory and observation of wildlife and assisting at the local schools located in the jungle areas.
CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION
One of the ways we provide support to the different projects we work with is through our construction and renovation projects. Many projects are under-funded and run-down, and are in need of renovation work. Volunteers usually work alongside a local construction worker who provides them with direction and motivation. Volunteers work on a variety of buildings such as schools, orphanages, community centers and clinics. Volunteer work varies but generally consists of renovating buildings, re-painting community centers, building required infrastructure such as orphanages and landscaping/gardening. You are not required to have experience with construction work but having good energy levels, a reasonable level of fitness and good dedication will go a long way to ensuring you get the most out of your volunteer project.
MEDICAL PLACEMENT
Clinics and hospitals for low income families in Cusco tend to be under-funded and under-staffed. As a result, volunteers can play an important role in assisting local nurses and doctors, while also learning about the healthcare system here. However, it is important that healthcare volunteers have realistic expectations with regard to the activities that they will get involved in (see below).
Pre-med, 1st year or 2nd year medical students
- Clinic or hospital for low-income families - Triage: Taking weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature - Hospital wards: Making beds, cleaning, talking with patients - Materials: Preparing materials, sterilizing equipment
- Clinic for mentally and physically disabled children - Activities: Taking the kids to the park or farm, organizing art and crafts workshops, providing individual attention - Mealtimes: Assisting during mealtimes, assisting with tooth brushing
3rd year or 4th year medical students and medical professionals
- Clinic or hospital for low-income families - Cleaning wounds, giving injections and sutures - Consult rooms and specialized departments: Assisting doctor taking physicals and histories - Campaigns: Giving vaccinations, taking records, drawing blood samples
- Clinic for mentally and physically disabled children - Activities: Taking the kids to the park or farm, organizing art and crafts workshops, providing love and attention - Mealtimes: Assisting during mealtimes, assisting with tooth brushing - Physiotherapy: Providing basic assistance with physiotherapy
N.B. For the MEDICAL PLACEMENT, volunteers need to be training or qualified in a relevant medical field. Naturally, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Peru.
PERU - CUSCO PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. CLICK HERE to see the program cost to volunteer in Peru- Cusco and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are accommodated in either a home-stay or volunteer house where they will live with a local family or other volunteers. We give that local family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Peruvian way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (Spanish) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable and all home stays and volunteer houses have electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers but in some home stays volunteers get their own rooms. Peruvian food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
ORIENTATION
Orientation will begin on the first and third Monday of each month and last for approximately one day. Orientation will be conducted by staff in Cusco and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Peru – Introduction to Peru, Peruvian Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Peru and Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
LANGUAGE COURSE
Spanish language courses are available for all volunteers regardless of their ability. IVHQ strongly recommends these for all volunteers unless they are extremely fluent. If a volunteer's Spanish is none to basic and they are staying for a period of longer than two weeks then volunteers should strongly consider these courses as they will allow them to work and communicate with all parties a lot more efficiently during their stay. These language courses are organised on your arrival in Peru at the program orientation. The language course is tailored to each volunteer's current level of Spanish (program staff are also professional Spanish teachers, so volunteers find these lessons very effective and worthwhile). The cost is very affordable and offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers.
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
- 7.30AM Breakfast with the host family or at volunteer house
- 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project;
- The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
- 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
- 8.30PM Dinner with the host family.
NB If a volunteer is taking advantage of the Spanish language course (most do) they will usually volunteer for half the day and spend the other half of the day (3-4) hours taking Spanish lessons.
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Peru. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Machu Picchu. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
PERU INFORMATION
Capital: Lima
Population: Dec 2005 Census: 27,219,266
Official language: Spanish
Currency: Nuevo Sol (PEN)
Time zone: PET (UTC-5)
Climate: Peru, unlike other equatorial countries, does not have an exclusively tropical climate; the influence of the Andes and the Humboldt Current causes great climatic diversity within the country. The costa has moderate temperatures, low precipitations, and high humidity, except for its warmer, wetter northern reaches. In the sierra, rain is frequent during summer, and temperature and humidity diminish with altitude up to the frozen peaks of the Andes. The selva is characterized by heavy rainfall and high temperatures, except for its southermost part, which has cold winters and seasonal rainfall.