Volunteering in Sucre - Bolivia
- Nursery Schools
- Nursery School For Young Children And Babies
- Kindergartens
- Home For Children And Youth
- After School Center For Children
- Penitentiary
- Psychiatric Institute
- Psychopedagogical Institute
- Indigenous Community
- Animal Park
SHORT TERM AND PART TIME PROJECTS:
Participation in a volunteer project through the Academia Latinoamericana de Español requires you to be available to work for at least 4 weeks and to take at least 4 weeks of Spanish classes before or while you volunteer. At the time you start volunteering, your Spanish should be at least at an intermediate level, as you need to be able to communicate with the staff, the children or patients and other volunteers at the project.
During your volunteer work, the Academia Latinoamericana provides you accommodation at the student residence directly on the school campus (except for projects which are located outside the city).
Clothing: unless otherwise specified, comfortable clothes such as jeans, t-short, jumper, etc.
Location: 30 minutes by bus from the student residence
History/Purpose
The children at the kindergartens are divided according to their age in groups from new born to 6 year olds and from 6 to 14 year olds. At these centers the children receive care in areas such as pedagogical education and support. These kindergartens were nominated model schools due to their good example to other schools in the great organization of the work they perform.
Placement
Volunteers may work in many areas such as development and stimulation in scholar support, or in care for the babies, playing, feeding, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Schedule: Monday through Friday
Spanish: Intermediate
List of optional donations
Alimentary products, educational games, children's clothing, school material, toys, etc.
NURSERY SCHOOL FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AND BABIES
Location: 15 minute walk from the student residence
History/Purpose
The children in this center are divided into a group of babies from 0 to 2 years and of young children from 3 to 5 years. The children need a lot of attention, care and affection, as they come from very poor backgrounds and often difficult family situations.
Placement
Volunteers are needed in many areas such as feeding the babies, changing diapers, bathing them, changing clothes, make them sleep, playing, early stimulation, giving help while they learn to walk. With the older children volunteers offer help at lunch, accompany them to kindergarten, play, change clothes, help them in daily tasks, etc. Support of volunteers is needed in many areas and volunteers need to be very patient and understanding, and always show the children and babies affection.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Intermediate
List of optional donations
Diapers, milk, daily alimentary products, children's and babies' clothes, shoes, toys, etc.
Location: 10 to 30 minute walk from the student residence
History/Purpose
These are kindergartens for children from very poor families. Some of them also accept disabled children. Most children are between 4 and 6 years of age.
Placement
Depending on their experience and interests, volunteers work in wide areas such as kindergarten teachers' assistants, and supporting the disabled children in their daily tasks, playing with the children, singing, dancing, drawing, painting, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 3 weeks
Spanish: Intermediate
List of optional donations
Educational and school material, tables, chairs, cleaning material for toilets and bathrooms, medicine, etc.
Location: 10 minute walk from the student residence
History/Purpose
This center is a home for working children and youth (only boys) between 6 and 17 years.
Placement
Volunteers help the children and youth at the center supporting them in their learning process, giving them help in the signatures maths, physical exercise, English, natural sciences, social studies, reading and writing, etc. They also play with the children and help in daily activities such as sports, playing games and any task related to their school- and homework.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Intermediate
List of optional donations
Educational material (maths, physics, chemistry books, etc.), cleaning material, didactic toys and games, sports clothing, shoes, etc.
AFTER SCHOOL CENTER FOR CHILDREN
Location: 45 minute bus ride from the student residence
History/Purpose
This is a center which offers children school support in maths, languages, natural sciences, social studies, reading and writing, painting, etc.
Placement
Each volunteer is assigned a group as a teacher. They are responsible for their group and supervise them in all activities at the school. No children are allowed to leave the classroom before they finish their tasks. At lunch the volunteers supervise their groups in turns and after classes the volunteers realize activities with their group of children such as soccer games, basketball or other games.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
List of optional donations
Dietary products (flour, sugar, oil, milk, rice, noodles, fruit, etc.), school material, clothes, etc.
Location: 30 minute walk ride from the student residence
Placement
In the women's section volunteers help capacitating the incarcerated in technical areas such as sewing, weaving, fabric painting, etc. Volunteers also work with the women's children and bring them to kindergarten or pick them up, help them with their homework for school, etc. In the men's area volunteers give support working at the evening school, which some of the incarcerated visit at the center, they help in carpentry or help them with schoolwork and their studies.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
List of optional donations
Alimentary products, clothes, shoes, footballs, tools for the daily tasks in carpentry, sewing, weaving, school material, textbooks, pens, pencils, cleaning material, etc.
Location: 10 minute bus ride from the student residence
History/Purpose
The Psychiatric Institute is divided in two areas: Occupational Therapies and Mixed Area. The Occupational Therapies consist in maintaining the patients occupied with manual activities in drawing, painting, physical expression workshops etc. The Mixed Area pays attention to elderly people in alimentation, accompany them on walks, help them going to bed, daily physiotherapy, etc.
Placement
This in an excellent program for students of medicine.
Volunteers work in all areas either in Occupational Therapies or in the Mixed Area. They work in all daily tasks and may also help in the laundry, kitchen, garden, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
List of optional donations
Dry alimentary products, vegetables, milk, flour, sugar, men's and women's clothes, shoes, medication, wheelchairs, physiotherapy equipment, tools for the daily workshops.
Location: 15 minute walk from the student residence
Placement
This is an excellent program for students of medicine.
The volunteers work in important tasks and very personalized activities together with the internal children, in various occupational therapies and personal attention. They offer help during the meals, with schoolwork, go for walks with the internals, recreational activities, games, and always need to show a lot of affection. Volunteers also help in horse therapy, baking, carpentry workshops, painting, repairing wheelchairs, garden work, sewing, kitchen, cleaning, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
List of optional donations
Diapers, milk, clothes, orthopaedic shoes, wheelchairs, physiotherapy equipment, medications, etc.
Location: The community is located in a tropical region on the border of the Madidi National Park in the province of Beni.
Placement
Volunteers need to be willing to adapt to the basic lifestyle of the community and collaborate in agriculture, fishing, hunting, looking after the babies and children, kitchen, etc. Tasks also include work at the hotel/ hostel of the community as guide, translator, in administration, cleaning, English teacher, etc, and work as teacher's assistant of the local school providing help in reading, writing, maths, languages, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
In this program the volunteers live together with a local host family in cabins. 3 meals per day are provided. Accommodation and lifestyle are very basic. Volunteers need to take vitamin B12 one week before entering the community and during their stay and show a certificate of yellow fever vaccination.
List of optional donations
School material for the children, clothes, shoes, alimentation, sports material, construction material for the school building, cleaning products, etc.
Location: The animal park is located in a tropical region in the Department of Cochabamba.
Placement
This animal park is a refuge for wild animals. Volunteers need to be willing to live a very basic lifestyle without comfort in the park. Volunteers work in all areas related to preparing alimentation for the animals and feeding them, caring for the animals with various diseases, fractures, old animals which suffer from arthritis, etc. Each volunteer is assigned a species of animals with which they remain for a certain time, as the animals need time to adapt to each person. Volunteers also work in maintenance of the cages and refuge areas of the animals and their natural surroundings, and help them learn how to live on their own again so they will be able survive once they are set free.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: Upper Intermediate
In this program basic accommodation is provided in the volunteer house directly in the animal park. No meals are included. Meals and daily products are available in a nearby town in the local shops and restaurants.
Volunteers need to take vitamin B12 one week before entering the animal park and during their stay and show a certificate of yellow fever vaccination.
List of optional donations
Veterinary products, alimentation and medications for the animals, cages, cleaning material, material for the maintenance of the cages, etc.
SHORT TERM AND PART TIME PROJECTS:
| Academia Latinoamericana has designed the following options for students willing to participate in short term volunteer programs. Our traditional volunteer/internship opportunities require a minimum of one month class and one month volunteer participation. However the projects below are for anyone of any age, any Spanish level or time period. |
Volunteers for Literacy: this is a volunteer program devoted to reading to children one - on - one and in groups, either in English or Spanish, at various sites throughout the city. This could be at a school, hospital, or other charitable organization. To have a special someone read to you is a memorable gift which remains in your memory for a very long time! The extra attention and opportunity of sharing is often the only chance these children have for developing the joys of reading and to have the care of an older person. We have an extensive library of story books for this purpose and also gratefully accept donations of all our students to expand our collection.
This is a program for orphanages, especially for abandoned street children. This is the place where, were it not for the sponsoring organizations, these children wouldn't be here today. You might find yourself for the first time in your life where you have everything and someone else has nothing. And, what do we all need? Loving arms and a warm heart, a place to simply be held and be loved, listen to a song, hear a story, and receive the joy of human love and affection. The appreciation and joy you will receive from this program are indescribable.
This program is designed to help college students in their English language, science or business studies. They may need conversation skills, homework help, tutoring, or a general arm around the shoulder. Participants don't need to be a working professional in any given field, though it would be a bonus. If you are a person willing to coach, cheerlead, or give that helping hand to an older student working hard to get that TOEFL score, write a business plan, polish a paper, or provide some insight, experience or advice, this is a program for you!
Spanish in Ecuador - (593 2) 2250 946 or 2267 904 or 2267 905 or Fax: (593 2) 2267 906
Spanish in Peru - Tel. & Fax: (51-84) 243 364
Spanish in Bolivia - Tel. & Fax: (591 4) 6439 613 or (591 4) 6427 085 info@latinoschools.com