Monday - Friday
8.30am - 5pm (US, EST)
1.30 - 10pm (UK and Ireland)
2.30 - 11pm (Western Europe)
Ecuadorian Education Leader To Address Alma Graduates
Volunteering in Cusco - Peru
- Educational Center for Children
- Kindergarten
- Children's Home 1
- Children's Home 2
- Home For Young Girls 1
- Home For Young Girls 2
- Nursery and Primary School
- Youth Rehabilitation Center
- Parochial Policlinc
- Zoo
SHORT TERM AND PART TIME PROJECTS:
Participation in a volunteer project through the Academia Latinoamericana de Espaņol 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.
EDUCATIONAL CENTER FOR CHILDREN
History/Purpose
This is a pre-school care center for little children who come from families of low resources.
Placement
In this center the volunteers assist the staff in various areas such as in teaching the children about hygiene, helping serve lunch, assist them with their homework. Volunteers should be willing to be a general assistant in the classroom. Other tasks include help in daily activities, games, teach general rules of living together and look after the children during the breaks. Volunteers need to be interested in working with children, very patient, creative and able to work with their hands.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:30am-1pm
Capacity: 2 volunteers
List of optional donations
Toys, office supplies, pencils, colour pencils, play dough, cleaning material, educational toys, books, etc.
History/Purpose
This is a government-run nursery schools/kindergarten for the extremely impoverished areas of Cusco (non scholastic primary education program). The volunteer placement takes part in a kindergarten (there are various locations) and includes teaching English, helping the teachers in the classroom, and organizing activities with the children. The kindergartens are located in the outskirts of the city. In each kindergarten there are about 35 children from 3 to 5 years. The kindergartens have very few resources and lack pens, pencils, paper, etc. Therefore, a volunteer must possess very good creative skills and be able to work with very little material.
Placement
Teacher's assistant. Volunteers for this placement must be highly motivated "self-starters" who are able to work independently. Also, some of these schools are in the outskirts of Cusco, so there may be some travel time involved.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 9:30am-12:00pm
Capacity: 10 volunteers
Other: Patience and willingness to be helpful in all areas related to teaching and working with the children.
List of optional donations
Educational materials for teaching English and general subjects, writing material, cleaning material, sweets, cooking utensils, cups, spoons.
History/Purpose
This organization has been working in Cusco since 1997 attending children in situations of abandonment and with difficulties of re-integration into the family, giving support to the children and their family, also in cases of a possible adoption.
Placement
Give support to the children so they will re-gain personal stability. Support in basic activities such as caring for babies, feeding them, changing diapers, cleaning. Volunteers must show a high willingness to work actively and independently and take on responsibility for the children and babies, showing an interest, patience, creativity, helping children in activities such as painting, drawing, origami, etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:30am-12:30pm or 2:30-7:00pm
Capacity: 2 volunteers in the morning and 2 in the afternoon
List of optional donations
Baby clothes, towels, sheets, blankets, games, writing material, cleaning material.
History/Purpose
This Children's Home was created in 1997 in order to accommodate and help children and teenagers become respectable grown-ups with the thought "Happiness of the Soul animates the good days of life." Today there are 43 boys and girls in this project.
Placement
Help the permanent staff organize basic activities related to taking care of the children. Participate in workshops and activities with the children programmed by the teachers. Always be aware that the children need a lot of attention and affection as they have been abandoned by their families or come from families with difficult backgrounds. Volunteers need to be well organized and show a great interest in children, be patient and creative and enjoy performing practical work such as painting, drawing, sports etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 7:30am-12:30pm or 2:30-6:00pm
Capacity: 4 volunteers
List of optional donations
Blankets, sheets, educational toys, writing material, cleaning material.
History/Purpose
This home was built in 1997 especially from young girls from 5 to 16 years. The girls at the home come from families with very few economic resources, from families who abandoned them or who, due to various reasons, are not able to take care of them.
Placement
Provide support to the girls in basic areas such as giving affection and love for them to find their personal stability. Participate in daily activities and pastimes such as singing, playing games, painting, drawing. Help organize and tidy up their bedrooms. Volunteers need to show a high interest in the girls and their situations and backgrounds, show patience in all activities, be creative and able to perform manual tasks such as painting or origami etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 10:00am-12:30pm (only during holiday periods) or 4:00-7:00pm
Capacity: 3 volunteers
List of optional donations
Children's clothes, sweets, bathroom products, ribbons, hair combs, brushes, toys.
History/Purpose
This home for young girls is run by religious sisters. The 65 girls at the home are in a morally and materially very poor or abandoned state. There are three age categories which are divided in to different groups.
Placement
Help the girls with their homework, take part in workshops in tasks such as sewing, ceramics, painting, drawing, singing, teaching languages and mathematics, sports. Volunteers must show a high interest in the girls and help them in all daily activities, showing always enthusiasm, organizational skills and creativity.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 10:00-11:30am or 2:30-7:00pm
Capacity: 3 volunteers
List of optional donations
Clothes, wool, threads, needles, scissors, toys, sweets.
History/Purpose
Located in a rural community of Cusco, this Nursery and Primary School was founded together with the Academia Latinoamericana. It has four different sections and welcomes children from families with low economic resources. Presently there are 25 boys and 31 girls at the school, however each year more children enter.
Placement
Teacher's assistant: The main volunteer tasks consist in assisting the teachers, help the children with their homework and coordinating their daily activities. Volunteers need to be very responsible and show high motivation and self-initiative in all tasks.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:30am-12:30pm
Capacity: 5 volunteers
List of optional donations
Writing material, furniture, paint, colours, cleaning material.
History/Purpose
This is a social re-insertion program for children and adolescents who are in breech of the law. The youths in this project are between 12 and 20 years old.
Placement
The program includes educational activities such as workshops in carpentry, shoe making and agricultural farm work. These educational modules have the final objective of orientating the persons about their personal development, alcoholism, drug addiction, etc. Furthermore, volunteers participate also in leisure activities together with the youths such as telling stories, playing football, basket ball, ping pong, dancing, drawing, painting, theatre plays etc.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am-1:00pm or 2:00-5:00pm
Capacity: 3 volunteers
List of optional donations
Clothes, underwear, shoes, cleaning material, books, magazines, sweets.
History/Purpose
This health center and clinic opened recently and helps the poorest people in the region. At present, there are about 130 children at the center, as well as several adults, but these numbers increase regularly.
Placement
Pay comprehensive attention to the children and adults at the centre in the following areas: general gynaecological illnesses, odontology, psychological obstetrics, rehabilitation, physiotherapy, ultrasound scans, ophthalmology, clinical laboratory, pharmacy, Andean medicine. Help and support the personnel of the center in their daily activities and offer assistance in any of the above mentioned areas.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:00am-12:00pm or 2:30-6:30pm, Saturday 6:00am-12:00pm
Capacity: 5 volunteers
List of optional donations
Any kind of medicine, antibiotics, bandages, cleaning material etc.
History/Purpose
In this asylum there are about 120 men and 100 women who live there permanently. Some are in good and healthy physical conditions, others suffer from permanent or temporary illnesses.
Placement
Volunteers' tasks include providing help at lunch time, assisting in daily tasks such as bathing the elderly people at the asylum, cutting nails, hair maintenance, dressing them, paying personal attention by playing ball games, drawing, having conversations and listening to them, playing bingo, dancing, singing, etc. Generally the elderly people are very interested in sharing their life's experiences with volunteers from overseas and spending time with them.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 4 weeks
Spanish: High intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 9:00am-1:00pm
Capacity: 2 volunteers
List of optional donations
Bonnets, caps, towels, sheets, toilet paper, scarves, games, medicine against cold and flu, antibiotics, soap, shampoo, sweets, etc.
History/Purpose
This is an ecological project at a zoo, which might be of interest for anyone who is interested in working with animals in various areas such as feeding and cleaning them or caring for injured and sick animals.
Placement
The main tasks of the volunteer include feeding and cleaning animals in the zoo. Besides, volunteers look after animals which arrive at the zoo injured or sick and are held there for a time until they are well again and set free.
Requirements
Minimum work commitment: 1 week
Spanish: High beginner to intermediate
Schedule: Monday thru Friday, 8:30-10:30am or 3:30-5:00pm
Capacity: 3 volunteers
List of optional donations
Medicine, bandages, gazes, vitamins, cotton, gloves, 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