Volunteer Abroad in Peru with United Planet Peru Quest

I had a really wonderful time volunteering. I worked in a clinic that was sort of up in the mountains and the experience was great. The people were warm and friendly, and they are truly grateful for everything that is done for them.

- Michelle Neff, United Planet Quest Volunteer

Check out our July 2007 Featured Volunteer

Peru Quest video

Experience the Ancient History of Peru While Making a Difference:

Volunteer in a variety of different locations while immersing yourself in the Peruvian culture. As the birthplace of many ancient empires, many beautiful monuments and traditions remain from those times. Volunteers will live in Cusco, the old Incan capital, enveloped by the Andes Mountains. The stone buildings left from the Incas are filled with shops of beautiful artisan work and a variety of cafes and restaurants. Included is a trip to gorgeous Machu Picchu, the ancient mountain city of the Incas!

Up to 10 hours of Spanish lessons per week are included!
Peru Quests run year-round and begin on the first and third Monday of each month.
Information on Prices and Cultural Excursions can be found in links at the top of this page.

View a sample 3-week itnerary for the Peru Quest here.

Ongoing Quest Opportunities:

1. After School Programs for Street children Quest
Though Cusco has all you could imagine for tourists, the economic situation leaves many children living and working on the streets. Work with a local Peruvian organization by helping kids with their homework, helping with leather purse making workshops, teaching English (which is an essential work skill in Cusco), and organizing activities for street children. These children need you as mentors to keep them on track with schoolwork and help them learn work skills so that they can create a better life than they have now. No experience needed and only a basic level of Spanish is required. Ask about our different locations!

2. Women's Shelter Quest

Duration:minimum 1 month preferred
Requirements:Intermediate Spanish

Volunteers work with teenage mothers (from 12 to 18 yrs old) and their children in a home designed specially for them. The women come from the ‘campo’ and have a history of being subjected to abuse and violence. There is s a maximum of 17 women with one child, at present there are 11 mothers and 11 children. They live an average of 4 to 5 years in the house and are assigned there by a family court judge. This house is designed to give these women a better future. Their children are sent to school and receive after school homework classes with a teacher. The mothers receive two hours of classes per day from a private teacher. The women are also taught a trade: they work in an atelier connected to the house where they make different articles of fabric. Psychological counselling and health support are provided for them. For the smallest children there is a wawawasi. This wawawasi is also open to women in the neighbourhood who don’t live in the house. They can leave their babies in the care of the house from 7 am to 7 pm. Volunteers are needed to help in the wawawasi and also help the older children with their homework, as well as support the mothers when needed.

Map of Peru 3. Orphanage Quest

Duration:minimum 1 month
Requirements:Basic Spanish

Great for pediatricians, psychologists, nutritionists, teachers, as well as non-professionals! Work at a state orphanage for kids between the ages of 1 and 18. The children live and eat in 12 different houses where a substitute mother takes care of a maximum of 10 children and sends them to school.Volunteers assist the substitute mothers in taking care of the household, helping the children with their homework, and organizing workshops and recreational activities.This opportunity is open for all volunteers.The project also has various contacts in the small villages in the Cusco region, where medical services are provided for the children in their “centro social.” As a professional you can work in this “centro social.”

Ask about our different locations!

* Please be sure to fill out the supplemental Medical Quest Application in addition to the regular Quest Application.

4. Children’s Hospital Quest

Paramedics, Pre-med/dental, Medical/Dental students can assist and observe and become part of the clinics team
Duration: 2 week minimum
Requirements:Intermediate Spanish; Basic Spanish is sufficient for professionals.

This is great for certified doctors, dentists and pediatricians as well as paramedics, medical or dental students, however professional skills are not necessary! This is an organization that has private hospitals all over Peru. It was founded by a Catholic order in 1995. The children often come from communities far from Cusco, because their parents have sent them away. Their physical and mental incapacities are often not understood. The children are between 2 and 15 years of age.The clinic consists of roughly 60 staff members and 50 accommodations available for patients.Almost all on-site doctors speak a fair level of English.As a volunteer you can help these children even by basic things such as feeding them, brushing their teeth, playing with them, and taking them out.

* Please be sure to fill out the supplemental Medical Quest Application in addition to the regular Quest Application.

5. State Hospital Quest
Duration:minimum of 4 weeks
Requirements: Advanced Spanish

This is great for nurses and other healthcare professionals! There are several hospitals in Cusco.This state hospital is known as the best one! Patients who are insured can get help here.The hospital has 200 staff members and the capacity to accommodate 150 patients.As a volunteer you can work in the mornings, afternoons and nights.

* Please be sure to fill out the supplemental Medical Quest Application in addition to the regular Quest Application!

6. Psychiatric Clinic Quest
Duration: minimum of 4 weeks
Requirements: basic level of Spanish, CV/ resume

This is great for anyone interested in volunteering, particularly those with a background in social work! Psychiatrists and related professionals are also needed. This psychiatric clinic works with adults who are mostly male. The clinic has 20 staff members and roughly 35 patients.The patients are typically suffering from autism, schizophrenia, depression and addiction. This clinic really needs all the help it can get. The main activities for volunteers without relevant experience are playing games and offering assistance with activities such as sports (they have their own gymnasium), dancing, arts and crafts and various other creative activities. Volunteers with a professional psychology, medical or social work background can help the patients in their specific fields. An experienced nurse will be guiding you throughout your time at the clinic.Volunteers must be creative and social.

*Please be sure to fill out the supplemental Medical Quest Application in addition to the regular Quest Application.

7. Rural Hospital Quest

Requirements: Intermediate Spanish

Poste San Jeronimo is a medical post where they perform consults and deal with emergencies. It’s a small clinic that’s meant for the poorer population of Cusco. You can help! We need general doctors, dentists, obstetrics, psychologists, lab-workers, nurses, and technical nurses as well as medical students of all kinds!

8. Juvenile Detention Center

Requirements: Intermediate to Advanced Spanish

Though Cusco has a great deal of activities for tourists, the economic situation leaves many Peruvian children living and working on the streets. You will have a chance to work with be a mentor for boys who have committed acts of violence, theft, or sexual assault. You will be able to use your skill set to create or participate in pre-existing projects and programs such as organizing workshops (shoe-making, furniture construction), helping the on-site psychologist (for psychology professionals), teaching dance classes or leading group activities such as various sports (especially soccer!).

9. Enriching the Lives of the Elderly

Requirements: Basic to Intermediate Spanish

This is a house for elderly in extreme poverty, a lot of them without any family to take care of them. Volunteer service consists of feeding, helping with bathing, organizing group dynamics activities as well as recreation. Their clothes, internal medical care and physiotherapy are also included in the care. There are two different areas in the house, one for the men one for the women. The elders are free to leave the house during the day. Geriatric specialists and physiotherapists encouraged to mobilize their skills in Peru!

10. Enriching the Lives of the Disabled

Requirements: Intermediate Spanish

You will be working with children and women with physical and mental disabilties. Volunteers normally assist with classes.

11. Peru Clinic and Care Center for the Disabled

Requirements: Intermediate Spanish

Volunteers help children with physical and mental disabilities to eat and play, as well as getting them out of their wheelchairs for massages, etc.There is a clinic open to everyone in the front and the kids play/live in the back. There isa playground as well where you can play with the children. The facilities have a garden with big pigs, cows, a llama, etc.

12. Special Option Quest to Cai Cay!

Duration: 10 days

Requirements: Advanced Spanish
For those who wish to stay more than 10 days, you can stay and volunteer for a week in Cai Cay, a remote village an hour outside of Cusco. The locals dress in traditional clothing and uphold much of the ancient culture. If you are looking to experience the rural culture of Peru this is a great option. The volunteer work here includes working with the children between the ages of 5 until 12 years old. You will be helping them with their homework, giving them lessons in English, and playing with them. You will also be teaching them to cultivate agriculturally in a sustainable way (no experience necessary). There is a small-scale garden to teach that cultivating ground can be self-supporting. Volunteers can stay 5 days and return for the weekend to Cusco.

Visas
United Planet sends volunteers from many countries around the world. Obtaining a Visa (if necessary) is therefore the responsibility of the volunteer. U.S. citizens can visit the website of the U.S. State Department to learn more about foreign entry requirements. For citizens of all other countries, please contact your destination country's embassy in your home country or your government website. If you need a letter from United Planet to verify your participation in our program, please e-mail us with this request and we will be happy to provide one.

Health Issues and Vaccinations
Some countries require or suggest that volunteers have certain vaccinations before entering the country. Please consult your country's government website for more information regarding the health of travelers. U.S. citizens can visit the website of the Centers for Disease Control to learn more about vaccinations and staying healthy while traveling. It is also recommended that you visit nearest travel clinic prior to departure.

Living and volunteering in another country, often in conditions you are not used to, can take a toll on the body and mind. In addition to the information that is provided in your pre-departure package, please research how to stay healthy in your country of destination. It could make all the difference!