School
renovation and cultural exchange with children in Piura
Piura
February 29 - March 19, 2012
Piura March 28 -
April 16, 2012
Piura April 25 -
May 14, 2012
Volunteer project: This is the 3rd year this project is organized in Piura - the most ancient colonial city in Peru. Past volunteers helped in the improvement of school infrastructure in order to create a better educational environment for the Peruvian children, and this year we are happy to welcome a new group of international volunteers to continue this work. The project is taking place in an elementary school in the city of Piura, where the volunteers will help with different renovation activities. If you would like to discover the Quechua culture and do some manual work for the benefit of Peruvian children while making new international friends, this project is for you!
Volunteers will be working along with the children’s parents and local
families in different activities such as:
• Setting a roof (in the playground)
• Restoring the school’s library, restoring the playground
• Restoring some green areas
• Intercultural exchange workshops (dance, music, languages)
Leisure time: Piura is located at the North of Peru and there are many possibilities for free time activities. Piura has the most antique square in the country and also beautiful hanging bridges, a very nice cathedral and nice parks. Piura is also famous for its tradition in horse breeding. You can visit nice beaches such as Colan, Yasira and Mancola Beach close to the city.
Language: The official language of the project is English. If possible, however, a working knowledge of Spanish would be appreciated.
Accommodation: Volunteers will be accommodated in a house with all basic facilities at disposal. There is no phone or internet in the house but both are easily accessible. There are no beds; please, bring your sleeping bag and air mat.
Location: Piura is a city located in the North of Peru. It is the capital of the Piura Region and the Piura Province. It was here that Spanish Conqueror Francisco Pizarro founded the first Spanish city in South America, San Miguel de Piura, in 1532.
Nearest airport: The biggest international airport is “Jorge Chavez” International Airport, Lima, Peru. Another option is the International Airport “Capitan FAP Guillermo Concha Iberico” in Piura City.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 210 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Activities with kids in an
orphanage in Ayacucho
Ayacucho February
1 - February 20, 2012
Volunteer project: The volunteer project in the orphanage URPI at the City of Ayacucho, Peru has been running for the last 8 years with excellent results. With this in mind, a group of international volunteers is again invited to participate in activities with Peruvian children and families.
As a volunteer in Ayacucho, you will be working at the URPI orphanage for boys with ages ranging from 5-17 years old. These boys have come to URPI for a variety of reasons concerning their familial situations, including reasons such as death of parents, violence in the home, drug and/or alcohol abuse by parents or imprisonment of their parents.
Volunteers will have the opportunity to participate in different activities with the children such as teaching English, gardening, attending workshops, playing games. They will also have the opportunity to plan and design their own activities based on individual and group skills and interests and the needs of the children. The purpose of the activities the volunteers will be preparing, is to provide the children at the URPI orphanage with lasting, practical skills to carry with them when they are old enough to leave the orphanage such as carpentry, handiwork, handicraft, cooking, baking, etc. Please keep this in mind when developing the activities.
While at URPI, volunteers will be working in a supporting role with the teachers and other permanent volunteers at the orphanage. While the volunteers are responsible for both caring for and disciplining the children, the teachers and other permanent volunteers will help with the more serious disciplinary actions that are required, though these seldom occur.
Special requirements: It is very important that all volunteers be prepared to work with children! Volunteers must be highly motivated and keep in mind that the children are the first and most important reason volunteers are asked to work at URPI.
Language: The official language of the project is English. If possible, however, a working knowledge of Spanish would be appreciated.
Accommodation: Volunteers will live in a house, located at a close walk from the city center. Buses, mototaxis, and taxis are readily available for cheap transportation around the city. The house is simple but consists of all basic necessities. There is a sleeping room, with simple metal frame cots for beds. These beds can feel quite thin at times, and extra padding (air mattress or camping pad) can make the stay more comfortable; there are no blankets, so a sleeping bag is a necessity. There is a courtyard, a dining room and also a space on the roof for relaxing. Finally, in the house there are some materials to use with the children, but this supply is limited.
Location: Ayacucho is a historical city of Peru, located in the mountains at 2700 meters above sea level. It has all the services of the modern city. A bus or minivan will be provided for group excursions outside of the city.
Nearest airport: Aeropuerto Coronel FAP Alfredo Mendivil Duarte.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 210 Euro
The extra fee is intended to support the hosting organization who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival on the project.
Ayacucho (Eye-ah-coo-choo) Basin is located within central Peru and consists of several archeological sites which date from 23,000 B.C. to 1470 AD. The basin itself has been a host to an estimated 23 civilizations from the Wari to the Inca. Though there are many sites within the Ayacucho Basin, the civilization known as the Ayacucho, occupied a relatively long timespan of roughly 2,000 years, and was the second civilization to live within the Basin. Ayacucho has been known by many names such as Flea Cave, Ayacucho, and by the multitude of archeological sites found in the Ayacucho Basin. The site which has yielded the most archeological artifacts has been Picimachey Cave. Picimachey Cave is located 24 kilometers north of Ayacucho City. It has been estimated by archeologists that the cave and its inhabitants were living during a time after the glacial period, which made the basin a forest zone, rich with plants and animal inhabitants. The preservation of the Picimachey Cave has been theorized to have been caused by a stream which backed up into the cave and deposited a thin layer of peat around the Picimachey settlement. This thin layer of peat aided in the preservation of hundred of tools, which have given archeologists a greater picture of what life was like within Ayacucho Civilization.
Cadip volunteer project review:
"I had such a great time volunteering in Peru. Learning the culture and
helping the kids was an experience I'll never forget! I met such great
people from all over the world that I still keep in touch with. I'm
actually trying to figure out what program I'd like to do next! It was a
little challenging not speaking the language well but I got by OK. I
would recommend this program to anyone! I can't wait to do it again!"
Natasha A.,
Cadip volunteer 2009
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