Volunteer with Carisma Peru

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Huancayo

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: all the year

Description: Carisma Peru has links with local community colleges, orphanages, medical centres and clinics where our volunteers will be able to work and help achieve the goals and objectives of the program.

** Orphanages:

Children based at these orphanages have usually been abandoned by their parents due to economic problems, illnesses or simply because they are unwanted. The government offers support through some institutions with basic provisions such as food and clothing and in some, medical care. However this is not enough because it's just as important for the children to be able to receive love and affection. Hence the work of the volunteers is to converse with the children and help them on a personal one to one level in their studies it may be, developing their skills, building their confidence, playing with them and offering their care and love.

Volunteers can work either in the morning or in the afternoon, from Mondays to Fridays about 2-3 hours each day.

Depending on the program they decide to choose with Carismaperu, volunteers can teach children ideas revolving basic health and hygiene, English, games, music and have the freedom to improvise maybe organizing other fun activities which may be beneficial to the children in one way or another.

Work placements available
- Inabif
- Instituto Polivalente

** Social Work Placements with Children in the Rural Regions:
Currently, Carismaperu volunteers work in small towns, where groups of 10 to 15 kids, aged about 7 to 16, come to study when they are not working or attending school. Their parents are usually tied down to working in small farms and expect some amount of assistance from their children. The pressures of work, school, and family are real and sometimes rather overwhelming for children of such young age to have so many responsibilities. Sometimes the children face precarious domestic situations and depend on the support of the volunteers and the program. The children who attend are generally motivated and really appreciate the guidance and sincerity of the volunteers.

Work placements available:
- Cajas pueblo (town) 20 minutes from Huancayo by public transport
- Pilcomayo pueblo (town of Pilcomayo) is a 15 minutes journey from Huancayo by public transport.

** Medical Centres:
Volunteers will be able to share a vast number of experiences with doctors and nurses attending to numerous types of patients or even some emergency cases, depending on the capability of each health centre and clinic in the rural areas of Huancayo.

In medical centres, volunteers will have the opportunity to work and learn with practising doctors, again observe emergency cases, treatments and campaigns of prevention of certain diseases in which the volunteers can participate and collaborate with nurses according to the needs of the health centre.

In addition, new medical students will be able to thoroughly observe doctors, nurses and other medical health professionals in the medical centres and offer their help and skills where needed and it will provide that invaluable practical work experience essential to those studying and working in the medical profession.

** Teaching Assistants:
One of the greatest setbacks facing education in Peru with regards to the English language is the grammar and pronunciation. This is due to the lack of essential native speakers especially in rural areas, towns and small cities. For that reason Carismaperu with the crucial support network of the volunteers will be able to improve this problem substantially over time, offering volunteers an opportunity to work with children from the age of 12-16 years as a teaching assistant in different colleges in the city and towns of Huancayo. This type of resource will allow students to improve their fluency in all aspects of English and rekindle their interest by practising it with native speakers.

** Scholarship for Students
There are many students who would like to continue their studies at university level and they simply cannot. Carismaperu wants to help and see these students finish their secondary education (high school), and have set out certain requirements that must be meant in order for students to gain a scholarship;

1. They must live in the rural areas.
2. They come from a low financial background.
3. They must have satisfactory/good results when they terminate their high school education.

Therefore, in order to nominate suitable candidates, Carismaperu will evaluate students that meet these strict requirements and will try and ensure that the students attending university with a scholarship are at a satisfactory academic level to lower the possibility of losing their scholarship.

** Special Cases:

In some cases, Carismaperu encounters situations where people are living in extreme destitution or with terminal illnesses as well as some cases involving children with special needs all requiring some degree of urgency. In these cases of the program, Carismaperu organizes specialist projects and campaigns in order to economically aid these people with the help and supervision of the volunteers.

** Adventure Travel Program:
Carismaperu is an organization that believes in the wellbeing of its volunteers and of course in their comfort and gratification during their stay. Also Carismaperu feels that it's obligatory to at least provide the opportunity to show the diversity of the country through recreational and adventurous excursions. Carismaperu has been organizing trips to the following locations for 2 over years.

Highlights:
* To improve the standard of living of under privileged children in rural areas.
* To promote a culture of service and respect of values in children.
* To develop an interest in conservation of the environment.
* To support and strengthen the teaching of English in the rural regions.
* To make volunteers understand the reality of Andean life and circumstances and identify themselves with this.
* To improve fluency and expand the volunteers knowledge of the Spanish language through by communicating in their volunteer placement and with locals. To ensure the safety and well being of each volunteer during their stay in the program.
* To organize cultural and recreational excursions so that one can appreciate the cultural diversity of the surroundings including flora and fauna and also gain a deeper insight into the social-economic problems.

Qualifications: The volunteers must have these qualifications :
- They must be 16 years old and above. There is no upper limit.
- They must be friendly, confident, pro active, open minded to interact with different kind of people and costumes.
- The volunteers will learn new experiences and share many things with children and professional from Peru.

Minimum Education: High School

- English Teacher Assistant.    $20
- Street children.             $20   
- Special needs or Orphanage programs. $20
- Special needs in rural towns. $20
- Medical center                $30

All the contributions are for expenses of the program.
Accommodation + Administration + Support Fee (Per week)

* Volunteers Residence (only available in Huancayo). $75 First week
Since second week.                                 $70

* Family Homestay (available in all cities) .       $85 First week
Since second week.                                 $80

Tours to the Jungle:
- includes all the services for three days          $90

Tours Around the Valley:
- includes everything and horse rides one day       $35

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: A typical volunteer at Carismaperu is a person who likes to work with children and adolescents sharing everything with them.

Age Range: more than 16

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Peru Independently Or in Groups

Typically Participants Work Independently Or in Groups of unlimited

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Carisma Peru's Mission Statement: Carisma Peru was established with the primary objective of improving and developing the abilities and skills of children and adolescents that live in the rural and high Andean regions of the central sierra of Peru. Our aim, in coordination with volunteers and other organisations, is to implement a solid, stable and efficient network of support for children and teenagers that have been abandoned.

Year Founded: 2007