Sustainable Development in the Sacred Valley of the Incas
Urubamba
Volunteers will be based in the city of Urubamba with warm weather and beautiful settings. A city of approximately 100,000 people, Urubamba is about 1 hour from the city of Cusco. It offers most of the conveniences of a small city including restaurants, some nightlife and cultural experiences. Due to its location, Urubamba is an ideal base for excursions into the Andes and trips and tours to archeological and historical sites.
Volunteers have the opportunity to work in Sustainable Development and in the other projects in the area:
In the sustainable development program in Urubamba, the volunteers work closely with a small community in Urubamba. The daily duties are mainly focused on reforestation and agriculture. Therefore the volunteer spends time planting native trees and plants to rejuvenate the area and also helping with harvesting the crops with the locals. This gives the volunteer a great opportunity to get to know the locals and their culture and, of course, to practice Spanish. This project is for 4 to 5 hours everyday. During the volunteers free time they are encouraged to enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Sacred Valley by going on day hikes, visiting the many ruins, the hot springs and the river. Furthermore if volunteers would like to spend their off time volunteering in other projects we would be glad to coordinate visits to any of the below projects!
The other projects available in the Sacred Valley are centered around childcare. Volunteers may work in a school, orphanage or ceramics workshop.
At the school – Volunteers will help by teaching English, art, computers and math. Volunteers will also assist with homework. Due to overcrowding, children need more personal attention to understand their lessons, so expect to help small groups or teach one on one more than teaching to the large group.
In the Orphanage – Volunteers will work with abandoned children who need a lot of care, attention and are excited by your companionship. Volunteers will assist with organizing activities for the children as well as helping them with their school work. As always, we encourage our volunteers to take initiative and create activities for the children such as games, sports, arts, story telling, etc...
During your stay in Urubamba you will be staying with a local family whose home is above and beyond the volunteer family stay. The home is very comfortable with beautiful views and access to camping, hiking, and sightseeing. Your hosts in Urubamba are exceptionally friendly and unlike most family stays, they speak not only Spanish, but also English and German.
Calca
Volunteers stay in the beautiful town of Calca, located 50Km (31Miles) away from Cusco, at an elevation of 2928 meters above sea level (9,606 feet). It offers wonderful views of the mountains Pitusiray and Sahuasiray.
Close to town you can find the thermal baths of Machacancha and Minasmoqo. Also close by, is the archeological Inca complex of HuchuyQosqo, perched over a thousand meters over the Sacred Valley.
Volunteers have the option of working in the following types of projects:
The first option in Calca is for Volunteers to work with mentally and physically disabled children in a ceramics workshop.
At the Ceramics work shops – Volunteers work with mentally and physically disabled children, creating new designs, helping and motivating the children with their daily activities. Volunteers also work with the children, organizing arts and crafts, playing games and assisting with basic physical therapy and helping during meal times.
The second option for Volunteers will be involved in Teaching English, art, computers and math as well as assisting with homework.
Volunteers are not necessarily teaching in front of large classes or in formal classroom settings. Teaching is sometimes done in one-on-one format and in small groups.
During your stay in Calca you will be staying with a local family, who are very welcoming to all our volunteers. The home is very comfortable with beautiful views and access to camping, hiking, and sightseeing. Your hosts in Calca are exceptionally friendly and unlike most family stays, they speak not only Spanish, but also some English.
Some volunteers choose to spend their weekends in Cusco. This needs to be pre-arranged in order to accommodate your housing and will likely require additional housing fees.
Volunteers that choose these programs won't be able to take Spanish classes.
Room and Board
Meals and accommodations are included. Volunteers will stay in a home-stay where they will live with a local family. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers but in some home stays volunteers get their own rooms. We give that family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is very nice and exciting to stay with a family; that way you will also learn the Peruvian way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (Spanish) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable and all home stays have electricity and running water. Peruvian food is tasty and diverse. Volunteers can expect to experience a variety of flavors and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large number of restaurants in your chosen city to suit all tastes and budgets. We will be glad to let the family know if you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
First day! Your Introduction:
The first day of your program (Normally Monday) your Orientation will begin at around 8:00 am and will be conducted by our staff. It will cover everything you need to know for your volunteer placement in the city. Including an introduction to Peru, Peruvian customs, language training information (Spanish), rules and expectations, safety, travel opportunities in Peru, and an introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once our orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
One week as a volunteer:
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
- 7:30 AM Breakfast with the host family
- 8:00 AM Volunteer leaves home and takes public transport (or in some cases walks) to the project with other volunteers and program staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
- 2:00 PM-5:00 PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
- 7-7:30 PM Dinner with the host family.
NB If a volunteer is taking advantage of the Spanish language course (most do) they will usually volunteer for half the day and spend the other half of the day (3-4) hours taking Spanish lessons.
Weekends:
During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Peru. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Machu Picchu. At PV Travel we organize fun and interesting tours for our volunteers. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
APPLICATION PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS
Requirements:
The minimum age for volunteers is 18 years old unless traveling with family members over 18 or their school. No previous volunteer experience or other qualifications are necessary as all skills are useful in our projects. We do require volunteers be aware that they will encounter cultural differences in Peru, cultural differences which they must be prepared to respect. Our volunteers must be willing to engage in their project and be open-minded towards the dissimilarities they may encounter.
Application Process:
- Step one, fill out our application by clicking book now below. Make sure to add ¨@pevolunteer.org¨ to your email safe list to ensure receipt of our response.
- Once we receive your application, we will review it and notify you within a few days of your acceptance status.
- If you are accepted you will need to pay your deposit within one week to reserve your place.
- Upon receipt of your deposit you will be sent our in depth pre-departure information full of indispensible tips regarding preparing and packing, your destination and its customs, your accommodations, travel requirements and suggestions, and much more.
- After reserving your place please book your flight and send us your flight information so we can schedule your airport pick-up. Also visit your doctor for any vaccinations you may require and do not hesitate to ask us any questions that you may have.
- The remaining total is due 30 days before the start of your program.
- Join us Helping and Traveling in Peru!
To get started click book now below!
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