Volunteer in Peru

LOCATION OF PERU VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

IVHQ has volunteer placements in the Peruvian capital of Lima, located on the coast approximately half way down the country.

START AND DURATION OF PERU VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Programs begin on the 1st and 15th of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods raning from 1 week to 6 months. 

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

PERU VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating on the Medical Placement must have appropriate training and certification to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Peru. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check 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. Below is an outline of the various Spanish requirements for each placement.

Orphanage Work - Volunteers participating on the Orphanage Work project in Lima can have little to no Spanish speaking ability, but must be fluent in English. If volunteers have no Spanish, they must be prepared for some language difficulties at their placement and be willing to take a language course (offered by our team in Peru - outlined below) if they are staying for a period of more than 2 weeks.

Teaching English - Volunteers who wish to participate on the Teaching English project must have at least a basic grasp of Spanish. This is because many of the children (and adults) who volunteers teach only have a very basic understanding of English, making it almost impossible for the local Peruvians to clearly understand the volunteers, unless they have some basic Spanish.

Medical Placement - Volunteers who wish to participate on the Medical Placement must have at least an intermediate level of spoken Spanish in order to work effectively on this project.

PERU VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS

"I loved the experience and it was really worthwhile. I volunteered for a period of 4 weeks and I feel as if everyone involved was very appreciative of the work that we were doing and were very inviting. The children were very receptive, willing to learn and very loving. The accommodation in which I stayed was a lot better than I had expected." - Valeria Hernandez (Teaching English)

Click here to read more testimonials from IVHQ volunteers in Peru - Lima.

PERU VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

TEACHING ENGLISH

The Teaching English project provides local Peruvians with the opportunity to learn English from native and fluent English speakers, enhancing their skills and ability to communicate universally.

Volunteers mainly work teaching in community schools, public schools and orphanages. Although volunteers generally work with children, there is also a great demand for volunteers to teach community groups and adult groups. Many of the people volunteers teach have only a basic level of English, therefore it is a requirement for volunteers to have at least a basic level of Spanish to teach on this project. Naturally, a volunteer's Spanish will improve over the course of their volunteering program in Lima, however it is highly recommended that volunteers take advantage of the Spanish lessons offered by our program staff in Peru. Volunteers DO NOT need to be qualified or experienced teachers to participate on the Teaching English project.

ORPHANAGE WORK

Due to the large number of orphaned children in developing countries, such as Peru, there is a great need for volunteers willing to work in orphanages to help educate and develop these children.

The Orphanage Work project in Lima involves cooking, cleaning, playing with children, assisting with feeding programs, caring for children and babies and teaching. Volunteers can have little to no speaking ability, however they must be prepared to take a language course (this is compulsory for volunteers staying longer than 2 weeks - please see below for details). 

MEDICAL PLACEMENT

Poverty creates a large barrier to the acquisition of healthcare and in a country like Peru, where a significant percentage of the population is struggling to make ends meet, this effect is accentuated. 

The Peruvian Government has authorized our program partner in Lima to place medical students and professionals in their clinics and hospitals. These hospitals and dispensaries have very basic equipment and facilities. Volunteers are placed in a hospital or dispensary based on previous medical training and experience. In order to participate on this project, volunteers must have at least an intermediate level of Spanish. Volunteers need to be training or qualified in a relevant medical field and are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Peru.

PERU PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Peru and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers are accommodated in a home stay, where they live with a local Peruvian family. We give your host family money from your program 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 have electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers, however 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 number of restaurants and diners in Lima to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special dietary requirements, please make a note of this in your application 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 1st and 15th of each month in Lima. Orientation will be conducted by program staff in Lima and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Peru – Introduction to Peru, Peruvian Customs, Language Training Information (Spanish), Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Peru, Introduction to your Project and Placement. During orientation, volunteers will finalise their program and specific 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 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 fluent in Spanish. If volunteers have little or not Spanish ability and are volunteering for a period longer than 2 weeks, they should strongly consider these courses, so they can work and communicate with all parties more effectively during their stay. These language courses are organised on your arrival in Peru at your program orientation. The language course is tailored to each volunteer's current level of Spanish. The cost is very affordable and offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers at US$10 per hour.

VOLUNTEER WEEK

First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, volunteers are escorted to their placements and introduced to the staff at the placement they are working at.

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.
• 8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and takes public transport (or walks in some cases) to the placement with other volunteers and program staff; Volunteer joins with the local staff and is 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 placement that the volunteer is volunteering at.
• 2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. Volunteers are free to go sight-seeing or do some shopping. Usually there will be a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the children at your placement up to around 6.00PM.
• 8.30PM Dinner with the host family.

Please note, if a volunteer is taking advantage of the Spanish language course, they will usually volunteer for half of the day and spend the other half of the day (3-4 hours) taking Spanish lessons.

Weekends: During the weekends, 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, to places such as Machu Picchu. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends, they can join local teams and visit orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time playing with and entertaining the children.

Peru Volunteer Fees

What do my fees pay for?

Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go*) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Airport pick up, orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer placement period, In-country 24/7 volunteer support and In-country administration costs.

What additional costs will I have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, Spanish lessons, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, spending money (volunteers in Peru generally find US$20 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).