Volunteer with Carisma Peru

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Huancayo

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: all the year

Description: Volunteering in the Highlands of Peru & Optional Spanish Classes

Description: Carismaperu is an organization whose name means friendship, generosity and love towards other people. It was established with the primary objective of improving and developing the abilities and skills of children and adolescents that live in the rural and high Andean regions of the central sierra of Peru. They provide the essential bond between the volunteers and the least developed communities of this region. Carismaperu is a non-profit organization and solely aims to see the children revive their faith and clearly envisage their future with optimism and dignity.

Orphanages - Children based at these orphanages have usually been abandoned by their parents due to economic problems, illnesses or simply because they are unwanted. The government offers support through some institutions with basic provisions such as food and clothing and in some, medical care. However this is not enough because its just as important for the children to be able to receive love and affection.

INABIF
Is an all-boys orphanage where volunteers spend their time teaching and spending time with the orphans of ages 5-17. The orphanage is run in a loving manner in which the boys enjoy talking and playing with the volunteers after studying either at a nearby school or at the orphanage itself. Volunteers have the chance to tutor and teach English to the children while developing relationships with the boys who very often do not have a family of their own outside of the orphanage. Serving as mentors and teachers, volunteers work Monday through Friday for 3 hours in the morning and/or afternoon to help support the growth of the children while enjoying themselves at the same time. The volunteer work in the morning is usually academic and in the afternoon, the boys do arts and crafts and play. Volunteers often stay longer after finishing their teaching in order to talk, play, and spend time with the boys. Inabif is a great environment to volunteer and meet many great people.

POLIVALENTE
Is a school for children with special needs who are unable to attend mainstream schools in Huancayo. It works with children broadly split into three groups - deaf, blind, and those who are mentally handicapped. Just a short walk/taxi ride from the volunteer house, its an ideal place for anyone who wants to gain experience working with these incredible children in Peru.

The volunteers arrive at 8.45 and the day begins around 9am. Often the children are gathered outside before heading to their classrooms - the school is organised into about 8 classes of between 5 and 15 children each (depending on the attention they require). There is a dedicated teacher and often a helper or student in each class, so you are never left alone with the children. The school also has a number of psychologists, physiotherapists and physical education teacher who regularly come and work with the children throughout the day.

Social Work Placements with Children in Rural Regions :
Currently, Carismaperu volunteers work in small towns, where groups of 05 now we have 35 kids, aged about 5 to 13, come to study when they are not working or attending school. Their parents are usually tied down to working in small farms and expect some amount of assistance from their children.

URPAYCANCHA
Is a small village about 10 minutes in car from the center of Huancayo. Carismaperu sponsors and finances the Urpaycancha after school program for approximately 35 children. From 3-5 pm, volunteers work with children of ages 5-13, who often work during the day to support their own families. Although activities vary from day to day, the volunteers usually teach English for an hour and then play outside for an hour with various games and toys that Carismaperu provides. The children are very kind and eager to learn, making the work at Urpaycancha very enjoyable and for everyone. It is a very fun experience for both the children and volunteers as they develop relationships and spend time learning from each other.

The program is every weekday Monday through Friday for two hours in the afternoon after the children attend school.

Medical Centres :
Volunteers will be able to share a vast number of experiences with doctors and nurses attending to numerous types of patients or even some emergency cases, depending on the capability of each health centre and clinic in the rural areas of Huancayo.

In medical centres, volunteers will have the opportunity to work and learn with practising doctors, again observe emergency cases, treatments and campaigns of prevention of certain diseases in which the volunteers can participate and collaborate with nurses according to the needs .

Chupaca and Azapampa:
* The Medical Center of Chupaca is a 30 minutes bus ride from the volunteer Residence in Huancayo and Azapampa is 20 minutes bus ride.
* The program coordinates volunteer placements depending on the volunteers goals and career aspirations. All of the staff at the medical center are very accommodating and flexible, and they will do everything possible to make sure the volunteers work is appropriate and meaningful.
* Volunteers are provided the opportunity to work in virtually all areas of the Medical Center, which includes:
- Vaccination Campaigns.
- Paediatrics.
- Obstetrics.
- Emergency Department
- Tuberculosis Treatment
- Hospitalization care.
- Motor Stimulation and development.
- Social Services.

Typically volunteers work from 7 : 30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. A working knowledge of Spanish is necessary; if you feel your Spanish abilities need improvement, daily lessons are available through Carismaperu according to your needs.

Teaching Assistants - One of the greatest setbacks facing education in Peru with regards to the English language is the grammar and pronunciation. This is due to the lack of essential native speakers especially in rural areas, towns and small cities.

Carismaperu offers the opportunity to learn the Spanish language in an easy, quick and simple fashion, with fun, dynamic and active methods of teaching by teachers who are qualified and have graduated from the University where their first language is Spanish and English their second.

Scholarship for Students :
There are many students who would like to continue their studies at university level and they simply cannot. Carismaperu wants to help and see these students finish their secondary education (high school), and have set out certain requirements that must be meant in order for students to gain a scholarship;

1. They must live in the rural areas.
2. They come from a low financial background.
3. They must have satisfactory/good results when they terminate their high school education.

Therefore, in order to nominate suitable candidates, Carismaperu will evaluate students that meet these strict requirements and will try and ensure that the students attending university with a scholarship are at a satisfactory academic level to lower the possibility of losing their scholarship.

Special Cases:

In some cases, Carismaperu encounters situations where people are living in extreme destitution or with terminal illnesses as well as some cases involving children with special needs all requiring some degree of urgency. In these cases of the program, Carismaperu organizes specialist projects and campaigns in order to economically aid these people with the help and supervision of the volunteers.

Adventure Travel Program:
Carismaperu is an organization that believes in the wellbeing of its volunteers and of course in their comfort and gratification during their stay. Also Carismaperu feels that it's obligatory to at least provide the opportunity to show the diversity of the country through recreational and adventurous excursions. Carismaperu has been organizing trips to the following locations for 2 over years.

Highlights:
* To improve the standard of living of under privileged children in rural areas.
* To promote a culture of service and respect of values in children.
* To develop an interest in conservation of the environment.
* To support and strengthen the teaching of English in the rural regions.
* To make volunteers understand the reality of Andean life and circumstances and identify themselves with this.
* To improve fluency and expand the volunteers knowledge of the Spanish language through by communicating in their volunteer placement and with locals. To ensure the safety and well being of each volunteer during their stay in the program.
* To organize cultural and recreational excursions so that one can appreciate the cultural diversity of the surroundings including flora and fauna and also gain a deeper insight into the social-economic problems.

Qualifications: The volunteers must have these qualifications :
- They must be 16 years old and above. There is no upper limit.
- They must be friendly, confident, pro active, open minded to interact with different kind of people and costumes.
- The volunteers will learn new experiences and share many things with children and professional from Peru.

Minimum Education: High School

All the contributions are for expenses of the program.
Accommodation + Administration + Support Fee (Per week)

* Accomodation :                            $85 (per week, includes the breakfast)
Tours to the Jungle:
- includes all the services for three days             $100

Tours Around the Valley:
- includes everything and horse rides one day       $35

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: A typical volunteer at Carismaperu is a person who likes to work with children and adolescents sharing everything with them.

Age Range: more than 16

This Program is open to Worldwide 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 unlimited

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Carismaperu's Mission Statement: Carisma Peru was established with the primary objective of improving and developing the abilities and skills of children and adolescents that live in the rural and high Andean regions of the central sierra of Peru. Our aim, in coordination with volunteers and other organisations, is to implement a solid, stable and efficient network of support for children and teenagers that have been abandoned.

Year Founded: 2007