Peru

I feel very fortunate to have been able to volunteer with the light and leadership initiative! I just left Huaycan a few days ago and although I was only with the program for a short time I miss is deeply. I have volunteered internationally with a few other organizations and this one was by far the best experience yet. The program is extremely well run and does unbelievable things in Huaycan, the community it is based in. LLI makes you feel right at home when you walk into the house. The accommodations are comfortable and clean.  I really felt like I was sitting in my own living room after the first day there! The food provided and is made by the sweetest peruvian women and is delicious! Lara, the woman who started LLI makes you feel very safe and taken care of and makes the whole experience very personal and meaningful. She cares so much about the program and is very involved with everything that goes on with the volunteers from their work in the community to their safety and fun during their time off. Not only are you very safe and taken care of while in Peru through LLI, you are also Doing amazing things with the women and children and are really making a difference.  The program takes advantage of every volunteer and uses everything that each different person brings to the table. Your ideas and suggestions as a volunteer are listened to and really heard and the program gives you the flexibility to make the biggest impact possible while in Peru. The children and families that you work with in Huaycan are wonderful and so appreciative for everything you do for them. One of the best parts of the program was getting to live in the heart of the community with a diverse group of like minded, interesting people who all share one common goal. I would 100% recommend the light and leadership initiative to anyone who wants to volunteer internationally and really wants the experience to be rewarding, exciting, safe, and fulfilling. 

I just returned from a GeoVisions medical project in Peru. From my first inquiry to GeoVisions, I was impressed with how Rebecca wanted me to have the best experience and was always there when I called and had questions about the program. She answered all of my questions (and I had a lot!). Once I officially applied, everyone I worked with there was so helpful. They gave me the information that I need to really feel prepared to go on this program. By the way, it was the first time I had gone away by myself. I thought the process was easy. The best part was, of course, my time in Peru. Amazing (sounds like I'm exaggerating, but I'm not). The people in Peru met me at the airport exactly where they said they would be. My host family became a second family to me. AND the medical center was an experience I will never forget. I helped with some basic triage, I held the hand of a woman (actually she was younger than me, so more of a girl) while she delivered her 2nd baby. There is so much more. I could go on for a while. The end result: an amazing experience. Thank you GeoVisions!

I'm writing this as the mother of a 17 year old who recently spent 3 months in Cuzco, Peru with A Broader View (ABV). From the very beginning i was 100% satisfied with the level of communication and preparation between ourselves and Sarah (one of the owners of ABV). Sarah always promptly and fully answered all my questions. And, trust me, i had many questions before sending our daughter to Peru for 3 months! Once our daughter arrived in Peru we talked with her on a regular weekly basis and it was very apparent she was having a wonderful experience. I would recommend ABV highly to anyone looking for a volunteer abroad program and certainly would not hesitate if our daughter decided to volunteer again through ABV in the future.

I had an amazing time in Peru with ABV. A Broader View was incredibly helpful every step of the way and made me feel completely comfortable in country and while preparing to leave. ABV is a small non-profit and we spoke to the head of the whole operation every time we had a question. The responses were always incredibly prompt and informative, which my mother especially appreciated as I'm only 17 and my three months in Peru were my first time away form home. She was sent emails frequently, and even on the first day she was notified that my plane had landed before I even had a chance to call. I had an adviser in Cuzco, the city I lived in, who checked up on me frequently and made sure I was doing well at my volunteer sites. I could contact her if I had any problems with just about anything in Peru and the volunteer sites she set me up with were great. I worked in a school and an orphanage and I had a great time. I felt like I was doing good work and I liked the people I worked for. ABV was one of the cheapest programs I looked at, which worried me at first, but I didn't feel like it was lacking in any way. I lived with a wonderful Peruvian couple and always felt comfortable and safe in their house, and the staff of ABV in America made the whole process as easy as possible. ABV doesn't arrange trips or have a set program to immerse their volunteers in the local culture, so for people who are looking to volunteer without the structure that often comes with these programs, ABV is a great choice. They provided just the right amount of support. I also really enjoyed living in Peru. Cuzco is a beautiful city and there were many things to do and places to go. I had amazing time and I would recommend ABV to anyone.

I highly recommend the Global Volunteer Network (GVN) Machu Picchu fundraiser hike. It was incredibly rewarding to participate in the Inca Trail hike to raise funds for Peruvian children in need. Following the hike, it was amazing to meet the children and visit the programs where the funds we raised are going to help. Overall, the GVN hike was very well organized, and the GVN hike leader was a very kind and supportive leader.

In short, It was great!! The GVI school projects in Arequipa, as well as the tanking projects are great things to get involved in and be apart of. The project coordinators were lovely people with great hearts for the work they're doing and were so supportive and helpful. Working with the kids and seeing the work that GVI are doing in feeding them, providing them with school equipment, providing employment, scholarships for highschool education as well as the hands-on teacher support in the two schools they're working in was so inspiring to learn about and great to be apart of. I was volunteering there for 6 weeks. I was placed with a great host family, had great spanish teachers and was able to meet and work with a lovely group of people. It was run and organised very well and it was such a joy to work with the kids. I highly recommend volunteering with GVI!! I hope to go back!

I volunteered in Cusco with IVHQ for 2 months on their childcare program. I had an amazing time - I had read a lot of reports detailing this as the "greatest experience of their life" before I left and while it was not quite that, it was still very good. The local staff were outstanding and the accommodation was far far better than I imagined it would be. IVHQ has two Peru programs and the Cusco one was more expensive, however I do not regret paying more as it was worth it to come home to the volunteer house at night and relax in comfort. IVHQ claims to be one of the world's largest volunteer organizations and while this did not attract me to them prior to departure, having so many other volunteers to socialize and work with was great once I got there. My only complaint would be that their tours by the local company they work with were overpriced compared to prices of companies in the square. The biggest compliment I can pay the program is the fact that I plan to return on another of their programs when money allows me to. Thank you IVHQ!

Everyone at Rustic Volunteer team was always extremely helpful and knowledgeable about any questions or concerns I had. The Spanish classes were very interactive and the teacher had a great repose with all the students. He did a superior job of teaching! The living conditions were also very good, with excellent meals and always more than enough food. The family at the family stay was wonderful! The meals were prepared with care. I'm a vegetarian and was very satisfied with all my meals. They were very accommodating to my needs. I really enjoyed my volunteer experience at the shelter. I thought I was going to work with young children and this really was a new experience. It wasn't what I expected but it turned out to be great. My flight was about one hour late arriving in Cusco and no one met me at the airport. I had to take a taxi and I was overcharged but did not realize it at the time. Perhaps let others know what they would pay a taxi if the pickup does not occur. Overall, everything was great, therefore I recommend Rustic Volunteers programs in Peru to all.

I did the Eat So They Can even in 2010 and I had the opportunity to do the distribution trip to Cusco Peru in August 2011. I ave to say it has been one of the best experiences as a volunteer. I did not only make great friends in just a few days, but I had the opportunity to see first hand how much ESTC does for orphanage children ans struggling communities, and the impact that our help make in their lives. The love we felt there was amazing. On top of this the GVN staff that came with us was great, the security and care they took was incredible, and we stayed at a great hotel really close to the center of Cusco, so we got to enjoy the touristy part too. I strongly recommend doing the distribution trips, experience the reality of the communities that need help, the impact, etc. It is such an emotional and amazing experience that it is hard to describe it in words, but I really hope more people get the chance to do it.

My first overseas volunteer experience was with GVN and it was so positive that I did my second trip with them as well I am looking into locations for my third volunteer trip and it will also be with GVN. They are thorough with their information and follow-up. I was a bit distracted with "life" just before my first trip and they were so helpful and proactive with all the necessary information. I appreciate all the learning and helping opportunities, but it was also balanced with personal time and a chance to immerse into the community. The group leader for the Peru trip was especially passionate about the projects and her kindness and energy would bring anyone into a state of joyful ease. GVN's Be the Change program helped me narrow in on how I want my international giving to unfold, something I was struggling with, and then I was able to actually put those ideas to practice on the Distribution trip to Peru. Both were incredible experiences. I look forward to my next trip with them sometime in the new year.