Leave an eco-friendly footprint through this construction project and explore the best of Peru

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Program Overview
Life on the Program
Program Details
Volunteer Testimonials

Program Overview

Journey to the beautifully historic city of Arequipa where you will volunteer from one week on a construction-based project in rural indigenous communities.

The needs of our partner communities vary throughout the year, which means the main focus of your trip may vary from someone who has volunteered there in the past. You can get involved with anything from building eco-efficient stoves to reduce in-house air pollution, construct water tanks for rainwater storage or long-drop toilets to decrease the spread of disease.

Phoenix, GVI’s in-country partner has been operating educational and construction-based projects across Latin America since 2003, improving the quality of life for hundreds of families.

Life on the Program

Prior to heading out to the community, you will spend two days taking a one-on-one Spanish class to either refresh your skills or provide you with the basics for the project. Once you have finished orientation, you will spend your time immersed in the community as you see your program from start to finish.

Please be prepared for long days that can get quite warm, and be sure you are physically ready for activities such as digging, mixing cement and laying bricks.

You will spend evenings relaxing with other volunteers, practicing your Spanish or exploring Arequipa. Your accommodation will be basic but comfortable with a local family, which will provide you with the chance to fully immerse yourself in Peruvian life.

Program Details

The primary focus of this program is to improve the quality of life for the Quechua-speaking (the local indigenous language) people with whom we work, who are unfortunately confronted by the many problems of integrating with Arequipa life on a daily basis.

Despite your short stay, you will contribute everlasting benefits by building systems that provide potable water, clean sanitation facilities or reducing in-house air pollution. In building simple a stove, you effectively reduce the number of people across the globe killed each year by toxic air, which is a higher figure than those taken by Malaria or HIV/AIDS.