Volunteer at Incawasi Children's Home in Peru

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Cajamarca

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 9-12 weeks

Description: Incawasi is a recently founded non profit organization operating in the city of Cajamarca, Peru, with the aim of giving aid and support to local children from impoverished backgrounds. A team of international and Peruvian volunteers provide food, classes and activities to children who would otherwise be on the streets.

Incawasi works at getting all children to attend school and helps with the provision of school materials; it also fosters good relations within the community. Originally set up by Agenda SOS in March 2004, Peru is currently managed by 4 former volunteers based in Europe.

In Cajamarca itself, a group of volunteers, a trained social worker and a team of Peruvian staff live and work together on the project. Children come to the centre on a daily basis for lessons and lunch. They remain with us until they are attending school regularly and are ready to graduate. The social worker liaises with parents, teachers and community members; the volunteers organise activities of a wide-ranging nature.

Many children do not attend school in Cajamarca, due to several possible factors: the geographical difficulty of getting there (it can be over an hour of walking time from homes in the hills to the centre), the obligation to work, and an inability or reluctance to pay for school expenses. Our primary goal is to get as many children into school as possible, and this involves encouraging learning, talking to parents and in some cases providing uniform and school books. We have the more general aim of providing children aged between 7 and 13 with fun activities to do in the morning or afternoons, to keep them occupied, together and away from the streets, and to give extra help to those struggling in school and with learning difficulties.

Qualifications: We are looking for volunteers who are interested in working with children and (preferably) have some knowledge of Spanish to join our organization. Volunteers stay for as long as they like although we ask for a minimum of 1 month and live and work on site.

Cost in US$: First month $250, Second month $200, Subsequent months $150

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Kids Worldwide is looking for all types of people to volunteer in two street kids projects in Cajamarca and Lima. The project in Lima is an orphanage / street kids refuge for 300 + children called Sacred Family Childrens Home. Mature and fluent Spanish speakers are necessary for this project. The project in Cajamarca is run by an Irish volunteer and English classes can be taught by volunteers in exchange for free Spanish classes. No experience or expertise is neccessary. We trust that you are someone who loves to work with children and is happy to give their time for them. Each volunteer shares with other volunteers and the children their own talents and gifts.

Age Range: 18 and up (unless accompanied by an adult)

This Program is open to World Wide Participants.

Participants Travel to Peru Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network

KIDS Worldwide's Mission Statement: Kids Worldwide seeks to improve the quality of life for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. We provide nurturing care and educational programmes based upon the universal concepts of Neo-Humanism, which are tailored to the needs of the children in our projects. We run orphanages as well as provide services to already established orphanages and childrens' projects (such as struggling primary schools and kindergartens) through our volunteer outreach programs. Our volunteer programs are notable in that we only request a small donation for food and accommodation that is paid directly to the project itself when the volunteer arrives. There is no administration fee requested to sign up through the program as we have volunteers doing all the web design and co-ordination for free. We ask that each volunteer give US $350 for their first month's food and accomodation and $100 thereafter. That is all - compare this to other volunteering sites on the internet!