Volunteer with Children in Peru

If you want to help support disadvantaged children, this project is for you.

It’s also a great option if you’re planning on a career where you’ll work with children. For future social workers and teachers, for example, this is relevant work experience to add to your CV. You’ll also develop skills like planning and leadership, which can help you in any career you choose.

Best of all, you’ll be working toward long-term, sustainable goals we’ve set, and helping where it’s needed most.

You don’t need any previous experience to take part when doing childcare volunteering in Peru. We’ll teach you everything you need to know, and our staff and the local teachers are there to guide you. We also run regular workshops for all Childcare and Teaching volunteers, where you can exchange ideas for activities and get advice.

Your typical day in Peru will depend on which placement you are assigned. Generally, volunteers begin work at about 8am during weekdays, and finish in the afternoon at around 4pm. At some placements, volunteers finish slightly earlier in the afternoon.

During the day, you will help run the centre’s activities. For example, you’ll plan and run educational games to help the children learn a skill. You can also be involved with teaching children the basics of reading and writing.

There will be a break at about 10:30am, where you’ll supervise children while they play. You’ll also get a lunch break. Remember to remind them to wash their hands when they come running back inside!

In the evenings, you will return to your host family for dinner.

We sometimes organise community activities on days when there is no school. These can include visits to a centre for the elderly, where you can spend a day providing companionship and support to elderly people. You could help prepare meals, or take members for walks. Other community activities can include planting vegetable gardens and painting educational murals at schools.

You can use your free time and weekends to explore Cusco and go beyond the city. We recommend being adventurous and trying as much of the local food as possible! Also: a visit to Machu Picchu is a must!

The main aim of this project is to support early childhood development and the work of local staff at disadvantaged care centres.

Many of these children are from underprivileged families, and their parents work long hours during the day to earn an income. The placements are often limited in their staff capacity, and local teachers struggle to provide individualised care and attention to all the children. We need volunteers to support the staff, and make sure the children learn the skills they need to thrive at school.

We have set goals for this project to ensure our impact in Peru has a responsible long-term impact. They cover these main areas:

• Promote early childhood development
• Increase literacy
• Increase numeracy
• Improve English
• Improve the quality of life for those living with disabilities

Experience volunteer opportunities with children in Peru, and help us reach these goals.

You’ll work with children at one of our partner organisations, and be a source of support for local teachers and caregivers. These are some of the activities you could take part in:

• Promote early childhood development through fun, educational activities
• Improve literacy and numeracy among children
• Support local staff at care centres and kindergartens
• Encourage regular hygiene practices, like hand-washing and brushing teeth
• Work at summer schools to run educational activities during school holidays