Affordable Volunteering in Peru from $440

  Peru

• Lima: 
Lima
• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Huancayo

Durations of Program: 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks and 3-6 months
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: 1st and 15th of each month

Description: International Volunteer HQ's partner NGO in Peru requires volunteers Now! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in teaching, orphanage work and medical work in the Peruvian cities of Lima and Huancayo.                                                                        

Teaching English
English is widely recognised as the 'universal language' and with Peruvians naturally being Spanish speakers, there is a real demand from local people to be taught English by fluent foreigners. Work is mainly at schools and directed towards children but there is also a lot of demand from community groups and adult groups we work with. Volunteers are placed in community schools, public schools or orphanage schools. Many of the people volunteers teach have only very basic English, therefore it is a requirement for volunteers to have at least a basic level of Spanish to teach on this program. Naturally a volunteer's Spanish will improve over the course of their volunteering but it is highly recommended that the volunteer take advantage of the Spanish lessons offered by our program staff in Peru. N.B. Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.

Orphanage Work
Developing and third world countries tend to have a large number of orphaned children and orphanages due to the general poverty and poor conditions, many families live in. Peru is no exception and there is a real dearth of helpers and volunteers willing to work in these orphanages and help educate and develop the children. Work at the orphanage can involve cooking, cleaning, playing with children, entertaining children, assisting with feeding programs, caring for children and babies and teaching. Volunteers on the orphanage program can have only basic to no Spanish but must be prepared to take a language course (this is compulsory for volunteers staying for over 2 weeks - please see below for details).

Medical Placement
Healthcare can be both very expensive and hard to access for poor and less privileged Peruvians who often struggle to make 'ends meet' let alone pay for health care. Poverty creates a large barrier to the acquisition of healthcare in general, but in a country where a large percentage of the population are struggling to make 'ends meet' on a daily basis such as Peru, this effect is accentuated. The Peruvian Government has authorized our program partner to place medical students and professionals in their clinics and hospitals. These dispensaries and hospitals 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 program, volunteers must have at least an intermediate level of Spanish.

N.B. For the Medical Placement, volunteers need to be training or qualified in a relevant medical field. Naturally, volunteers are required to present a copy of their qualifications and certificates to our program partner on arrival in Peru.

Highlights:
* Extremely affordable program fees
* Quality Programs
* Flexible Placements
* 24/7 Support
* Loyalty Program
* IVHQ Information Booklet
* Discount Spanish lessons

Qualifications: Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating in the Medical Placement must have appropriate training and certification (to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Peru).

For volunteers with little or no Spanish we recommend the Huancayo placement as the staff here are more fluent in English than the staff in Lima. Furthermore, 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 Program Language Requirements - Volunteers participating on the orphanage program in Peru can have little to no Spanish but must have fluent 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 Program Language Requirements - Volunteers who wish to participate on the teaching program must have at least a basic grasp of Spanish. This is because many of the children (and adults) that volunteers are teaching, only have very basic English, making it almost impossible for the local Peruvians to clearly understand the volunteer unless they have some basic Spanish.

Medical Program Language Requirements - Volunteers who wish to work on the medical program must have at least an intermediate level of Spanish in order to enable them to work effectively on this program.

Cost in US$: Varies from $440 for 1 week - $2220 for 6 months

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 18-80

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and 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 3-4

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include:

• Alumni Network
• Exit DebriefingAbroad

International Volunteer HQ's Mission Statement: International Volunteer HQ aims to provide volunteers with quality, flexible, safe and highly affordable volunteering placements in developing countries. In addition to providing aid and assistance to these countries, International Volunteer HQ endeavors to increase education and heighten awareness through not only the skills and expertise taken by volunteers to their host communities and institutions, but also through the experiences and lessons volunteers will in turn take back to their own countries and cultures.

Year Founded: 2007