Peru

I spent 6 weeks volunteering in Cusco, Peru. IVHQ matched me up with Maximo Nivel. IVHQ kept in touch the entire time before my arrival, during, and after. They made sure every aspect of my experience was perfect. It was so affordable, so amazing, and the best six weeks of my life. I volunteered at an orphange that changed my life forever. It was the perfect placement, perfect city, and perfect staff. They are by far the best organization to go through. I cannot wait to be able to volunteer through them again!!!

I find it difficult to express in words the amazing experience I had volunteering with United Planet in Peru. I took a short, 10 day trip, and had the time of my life. Everything about the program met or exceeded my expectations, and I can confidently say that I made an impact in the local community there. Working with the United Planet coordinators was easy and took all the stress out of planning my trip. They were responsive to my questions, and followed up with me in a timely manner. They also provided virtual trainings online for me before my trip that answered many questions that I didn't even know I had! My host family in Cuzco was very sweet and they had two young daughters that were a joy to interact with and practice my Spanish with (and help them with their English). They provided me with three very good, authentic meals per day, but I did get the chance to experience the local restaurants and nightlife in the city as well. Mafred, the United Planet coordinator in Peru is the owner of a Spanish school in Cuzco. Here, I got the chance to make friends with volunteers from all around the world. This was super interesting and not something I was expecting. Manfred and Niko, who worked with Manfred, were so much fun and helped me in so many ways during my time there. Oh, and the Spanish lessons were top notch too. I had the chance to volunteer at an all girls orphanage that was just a short bus ride from my host family and the Spanish school. The conditions were pretty bad, but that's why they need volunteers, right? All of the kids were so sweet. United Planet advised us to bring along activities for them to do, so I went to the dollar store and bought a bunch of school supplies, educational workbooks, and some games. We had a blast and I could really tell that the girls enjoyed having someone there to care about them and interact with them in a meaningful way. Along with volunteering, United Planet provides excursions to sites around your destination. I got to see all of the Inca ruins around Cuzco, museums, churches, and...oh yeah...Machu Picchu!!! Riding the train through the Andes to Aguas Calientes at the base of MP was like something out of a movie. Actually exploring MP and climbing Huana Picchu was just indescribably incredible. Easily one of the best days of my life. I would highly recommend United Planet for anyone who is looking to travel and make a difference in the world. I plan on taking another trip this year with United Planet. Oh, and if you do go to Peru, make sure to order Cuy. ;)

I spent 4 months in Peru from September to December, 2012. I loved every minute of my stay in Peru. I was living with a host family in a village called Pisac. Pisac is about an hour away from Cusco and is a beautiful little town with a daily crafts market. From Pisac it was easy to travel other places and it was fun to just explore Pisac, which is beautiful. My host family was amazing! Although I did not speak any Spanish when I arrived and they did not speak any English, they made me feel welcomed and part of their family from the very first day. For the first two weeks of my stay, I took thirty hours of Spanish. These were intensive private Spanish classes with a teacher from Projects Abroad. She helped me gain a basic knowledge of Spanish so that I could speak with my family and, after the first two weeks, start working in a kindergarten in a town called San Salvador, which is ten minutes from Pisac. During my time teaching, I also took another 60 hours of private Spanish classes at the same time. My time in the kindergarten was great! I worked with a classroom that had 18 five-year-olds in it. Although I didn't speak Spanish at the beginning, by the end I was able to lead the class in Spanish - teaching them how to add, write letters, and work on coloring. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to work with these children. A typical day for me consisted of breakfast at 7:30 am, working at the kindergarten from about 8 am to 1 pm, family lunch at 1:30, Spanish class from 3 to 6, and dinner at 7, then I would watch TV with the family and go to bed. Sometimes, I would not have Spanish because I would go to workshops provided by Projects Abroad to share ideas and suggestions about how to best work in the kindergartens. These were great because the Projects Abroad staff is extremely supportive in every way. And other days there would be social events in different towns where I would be able to join with other Projects Abroad volunteers and staff members and hike, cook, or hangout. I loved my experience with Projects Abroad because the program is set up really well - you are always supported by the wonderful staff and there are so many opportunities to really experience the culture. And Peru is an awesome place to be!

I did the medical volunteering and had a fantastic experience. I was able to Triage patients and realy enjoyed learning spanish. Cuzco is a great/safe place to spend your free time sight seeing! Strong recommendation

I would highly reccomend volunteering in Cusco through IFRE. The experience was truly once in a life time. I met such great people, natives and other volunteers. I always felt safe and the clinic in which I volunteered in was very welcoming.

I volunteered in Peru for two months and due to every option CCS provided me I feel confident saying that rather - I lived in Peru for two months. I got to go into the local people's homes, hold their grandchildren, listen to their life stories, drive with them to the park, and eat breakfast with the in-country staff one on one. My placement was at a senior center for disabled and neglected abuelos. Every morning when I got dropped of at Los Martincitos (the placement) nearly all of the 100+ abuelos swarmed me and gave me hugs and kisses. If that was not enough to make my heart burst into a gazillion pieces everyday, the rest of my experience should have. Due to the length of my stay I was privileged enough to check out other placements as well and it is apparent that the program in Peru is flawless. The in-country staff was so accommodating and understanding to any and all requests from the volunteers, which made everyone's time in Peru with CCS whatever they wanted it to be. Every week all of the volunteers were offered dance classes, guest speakers on the history of the districts we all volunteered in, Spanish lessons, and adventures around the city. As a group we got to visit several Incan Ruins, museums, and so much more. Although every week, down to the day and hour was structured and mapped out, we were given the freedom to plan alternate trips on the weekends and leave the house during the afternoons as we wished. I hiked Machu Picchu, visited the second oldest civilization in the world Caral (first in the America's), and so many ruins around Lima. It was so interesting! I was able to get a feel for the culture in my own way. The current history in Peru is just as fascinating to me if not more than the Incan history. The government and the corruption really put the difference between the three America's into perspective for me. Every question I had was answered by the in-country staff, who by the way, made my trip all the more perfect. They made me laugh, ate meals with everyone, asked me questions about the United States and my personal life, shared their family photos with me, tried to learn English while I tried to learn Spanish which made every conversation so much more hilarious and meaningful, and just so much more. They went above and beyond to make everyone feel at home and never left empty-handed. Thinking back on it makes my heart skip a beat. I know this review is cheesy and silly, but I fell in love with the locals, the culture, and the BEAUTY of Peru. It is gorgeous! To put this whole review into a few words I would say this: I am actually bummed that CCS Peru was my first location (yes, I will be traveling through CCS again) because I feel as if every other location is set up for a loss now. I truly believe no other place in the world, no other in-country staff, no other placement other than Martincitos could have changed my heart the way Peru has. I am 19, and because of my time spent in South America I have a life of volunteering ahead of me. I wish I had only stayed longer.

I have been on two Visions trips -- one to Peru and one to Alaska. Both were incredible. The people I met on the two trips were some of the most kind, thoughtful, friendly, and amazing people I have ever met. Camping, ice climbing, backpacking, visiting Muklukland, and canoeing were all awesome! They were really great experiences. Both summers were amazing. -Isabel Di Rosa, Washington DC

IVHQ contracts with local organizations who understand the needs of volunteers coming from far and wide. The support I received in both Cusco, Peru and Uganda was outstanding. It was clear to me that IVHQ carefully chooses local partners who are widely respected and who have the skill and know-how to find and supervise both appropriate housing and meaningful volunteer experiences for their volunteers. IVHQ also appreciates that travel to see the country is an essential part of understanding the culture and the people. Travel within the country also supports the local economy. They therefore provide invaluable assistance for finding excursions for weekends or for before or after the volunteer experience. Throughout the entire process, both before and during, I found the communication to be excellent, and I always felt connected and reassured; I had no worries about being in a foreign country. I would choose IVHQ again for another overseas experience--sooner than later.

I volunteered in Peru for two weeks and it was an incredible life changing experience. CCS provides a high level of support and structure to ensure a great volunteer, cultural and travel experience. My volunteer placement was at a senior citizen establishment and the people I met were so grateful for the quality time and work we spent with them. I feel like not only did Iade en impact, but I build long lasting relationships with everyone i met in Peru. CCS also gave me the opportunity to learn about, history, geography, Spanish, and political status of the country all important factors that influenced my volunteer experience. Some people think that this program is expensive and I would agree. However; it is worth every penny!!!!! This program is transparent. I know where the money I paid went and more importantly my biggest contribution was not fiancial it was my work. Far more valuable than money is the cultural exchange which results in sustainable positive change. In addition, I was able to use the matching gift policy my company offers and my second CCS trip next February (Tanzania 2013) will be covered by the matching gift I received from my company. My husband is fundraising as for his trip and he is doing well. I would recommend CCS hands down. It is safe, easy, life changing and eye-opening.

I volunteered for 3 weeks for a construction project in the Cuzco area. The project was to construct a new orphanage in the Tipon area. On arrival I was told there would be a few days delay to the project but that I could help out with the replacement of a couple of roof's on other orphanages that had been damaged in a storm. After the completion of this is l was informed a further couple of times that there were going to be delays and that I could help out in the teenage boys orphanage recycling trash for them to make money to go towards the running of the orphanage....a little frustrating but that's South America for you :) Finally on the last week of my stay the project started and I was glad to be getting my hands dirty on the project that I had signed up for. The local guys I was working with were great and we completed alot of hard work and shared some good laughs even though my Spanish and their English were equally terrible! :) The support that I received from Angelika Shmidt (Cuzco coordinator) was nothing short of fantastic. She smoothed out all the bumps and made sure that everything was as good as it could be. She organised a few get togethers with other vollys so we could share experiences and have a laugh. Angelika is very good at what she does and the main reason for the high rating. My host family Willington, Alcira and their son Nilson were also sensational and looked after me very well and I can't say thanks to them enough as they made me feel a part of the family. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I'd encourage anyone to jump in and do the same. There were a few minor hassles but nothing worth worrying about and I had some great experiences and stories come out of them anyway :) Thanks Global Crossroads Mark