Overview
Volunteer on community programs in Peru

This volunteering project takes you to teach children in the ‘pueblos jovenes’ (or ‘young towns’), located in the stunning southwestern region around Arequipa, Peru. Volunteers will help to educate children and adults who might not otherwise have access to a full formal education in the ‘aulas abiertas’ or ‘open classrooms’, which are run in conjunction with local leaders and teachers, and will assist in the region’s understaffed schools.

Staying with a local family in the colonial town of Arequipa, you can explore this beautiful area, partaking in weekend adventure activities such as an excursion to the Colca Canyon, mountain biking and horseback riding. College credit may be available for those attending this project. Consult GVI’s college credit page for helpful tips and advice.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

Maybe the best way to summarize it is to say that I went for 12 weeks and stayed for almost five months!

Charlotte Rooney, 2006 Volunteer

What Difference Does This Project Make?

As with our similar projects in Latin America, our aims are first and foremost in education, and pay particular focus on literacy and educational reinforcement for the children of each community. Global Vision International, with the full support of the leaders of the communities and the schools, aims to tackle these issues. As GVI’s volunteers actually do the teaching alongside the local teachers and on their own, we can group the children by age and grade, to pay closer attention to the children and the required subjects, and identify those children who require further help. Coupled with paying for the school supplies, it is hoped that more children will attend and will receive the attention needed for their standard of education to improve.

Highlights

Living with a host family; learning Spanish (optional); teaching and helping indigenous children and adults; exploring the spectacular Peruvian region on the side trips by bike, foot and on horseback. Taking cultural workshops and excursions. Amazing community interaction.

Location

You will be based in Arequipa, Peru’s second most important city. It is located just over an hour’s flight, or 13 hours by bus, south of Peru’s capital city Lima, between the desert and the Peruvian Andes. You will study (if learning Spanish) and live in Arequipa whilst travelling to nearby communities, or ‘pueblos jovenes’, to undertake the teaching projects.

Field Conditions

Living with local families in Arequipa in basic, but comfortable, accommodation will enrich your cultural experience and provide you with the valuable opportunity to practice your Spanish! You will have your own private room, hot water and three meals a day will be provided when with the family. The food is very typical of the area, and is varied, including meats, plenty of vegetables and fruits. Vegetarians are also well catered for. All volunteers live near each other in the same neighbourhood, which is a 10 minute walk to the Plaza de Armas, and also a 10 minute walk to the Spanish School and pickup point to travel to work. Travel upgrades are available on this project, please see dates and costs for more information.