Volunteer In Peru - Change The World By Volunteering In Peru…. And Enjoy The Adventure Of A Lifetime

Are you interested in joining a Peru volunteer program? Would you like to explore an ancient and mystical country and leave a lasting legacy of change for good behind you? Do you want to experience the adventure of a lifetime? If so then RCDP’s safe, affordable and very worthwhile volunteer opportunities in Peru could be just what you are looking for.

Considered to be one of the world’s few megadiverse countries, Peru offers visitors a heady and eclectic mix of ancient Inca cultural monuments and luxury spas, plus lots of delicious food influenced by countries like Spain, China and Italy.

Thousands of tourists visit every year, keen to follow the crowds and see the major sights before relaxing at an upmarket hotel or restaurant. Few of them will ever see the other side of Peru, the many who live in poverty, the children who have no families to care for them, the under resourced education and healthcare facilities.

By choosing to volunteer in Peru you can glimpse both sides of this fascinating country, and enjoy all it has to offer while helping to secure a better future for the people you work with and the communities they live in.

Enroll in a Peru volunteer program today, or contact us for more information on these meaningful and life changing projects.

What volunteer opportunities are available in Peru?

There are many people in Peru who need the help of willing volunteers like yourself, and we offer well organized programs in the fields of orphanage based child care, English teaching in schools, and medical support in local clinics, as well as a longer summer project which combines time spent volunteering on a Peru project with an organized domestic sightseeing trip.

Work In An Orphanage In Peru

It’s sad but true that many children in Peru have lost their parents to the ravishes of sickness and poverty, while others are unable to live at home because they have been abused or simply abandoned.

RCDP help these youngsters by supporting some of the orphanages who try to provide them with a safe place to live, food to eat, and a loving, nurturing environment to support them emotionally. As a Peru orphanage volunteer you can help them build a brighter future, and make memories to last a lifetime.

Skills/Qualifications: The only qualifications needed to volunteer in a Peru orphanage are patience, a genuine love for children and the ability to be flexible in new and unusual situations.

Some Spanish language ability is helpful, but not essential, but in that case it is worth signing up for the language course we offer such volunteers. Of you have a background in fields such as nursing, social work or counseling and can stay for a month or more you can opt to volunteer in a Cusco orphanage which houses children with special needs.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Most orphanage volunteers in Peru work between 4-5 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Your duties may include teaching basic English conversation to children aged from 6-16, helping them with homework, teaching other topics such as computing or personal health, supervising the children on field trips and excursions, helping with fundraising and maintenance tasks, and organizing creative activities to stimulate the youngsters.

Your workload will be influenced by your personal abilities and what is happening when you are around.

Teaching English in Peru

Most school children in Peru love to study, but few government schools have adequate funding to offer classes subjects.

This means that many young people don’t have the chance to learn English or have art and physical education study periods, even though these are required to be taught by law. Some schools manage to offer these subjects but they are taught poorly by non-specialist and already over worked local teachers.

This is why RCDP support schools through their volunteer teaching in Peru program, providing keen and talented volunteers who can fill these gaps.

In Cusco, as in the rest of Peru, tourism is a blossoming market which offer a brighter future to the poor people who can get a job in the field. To do this strong English skills are mandatory, so everyone who spends time here helping the young people is making a serious difference to their future.

Skills/Qualifications: Volunteer teaching English in Peru programs are open to anyone who is fluent in the language and interested in sharing their knowledge and abilities with these keen and deserving students. You should of course be a caring, patient, relaxed and flexible kind of person, and be a good role model to the youngster you work with.

Volunteers are asked to dress in a professional way (basically no bare legs and arms), and to not have a lot of visible tattoos or piercings. If you can understand and speak some Spanish that is ideal, but those who don’t should seriously considering joining our Spanish language program before beginning their placement.

Volunteer Responsibilities: Teaching volunteers work weekdays only, for around 4-5 hours a day. Although exact schedules may change depending on the needs of each project, you can expect to teach basic English tasks for 3-4 hours a day, take classes in other topics you have a special interest in, help children with their homework, organize fun activities based around art, music, sport and so on, s well as helping with admin duties.

(Schools in Peru close for vacation in both summer and winter, but we can find another project to offer you if your travel dates fall in those times.)

Work on a Medical/Healthcare Project

Peru medical volunteers are needed to help local health professionals offer medical care to families and individuals in low-income areas. Opportunities are available in clinics and in most major clinical departments of hospitals, including rehab, dental, maternity, mental health, women’s health, pediatrics and general medicine.

RCDP also support a mobile health unit which caters to those living too far away from the city of Cusco to attend these special facilities. This is an amazing opportunity to get practical healthcare experience and help those in need live happier and healthier lives, while also enjoying all an ancient and welcoming culture has to offer.

Skills/Qualifications: Ideally medical volunteers in Peru join the program with a good level of Spanish as this really helps make your time there more rewarding.

We offer a language course for those who have no background in Spanish which we highly recommend before beginning a placement. A medical or general health related background is not required, but you should be aware that this type of program may well involve observing procedures where you will see blood, minor surgery or other upsetting things.

Health volunteers in Peru who are qualified and experienced or currently studying in a relevant field such as nursing, medicine, midwifery etc may be able to undertake extra duties which reflect their background. (Volunteers in this position must bring copies of their resume, education records and work credentials if applicable with them to Peru.)

Volunteer Responsibilities: Those who choose to join a Peru volunteer abroad medical program will be assigned duties on a case by case level, according to their individual background and qualifications.

This is the best way of making the most of your presence, which is always very much appreciated. At the very least volunteers observe and assist qualified local staff, and may receive basic training on site to help with tasks such as helping with basic lab work or in the pharmacy, taking a patient’s details, measuring vital signs like blood pressure and temperature and generally helping patients out.

Summer Volunteer Project

If you are thinking about joining a summer volunteer in Peru program this extra special project could be ideal. Over several weeks you get the best of all worlds, from a thorough introduction to the culture and language of Peru, to time spent on a project which best suits your skills and interests, and then finished with a guided tour of some amazing sights which will stay in your memory forever.

Welcome And Orientation, and Spanish Language Class (8 Days)

A member of RCDP’s Cusco based staff collects you from the airport, delivers a basic orientation, which includes choosing your placement, and helps you settle in before starting the one week of language classes which begin the following day.

Community Service Project (21 Days)

RCDP staff will place volunteers together in groups of 2-5 on different projects. You do the same things as all other volunteers, which may be say teaching English in a school, or helping to care for orphans in an orphanage.

Exploring Peru (7 Days)

The final part of this special Peru summer volunteer program involves an exciting week exploring the wonders of this amazing country. This once in a lifetime experience involves seeing the magnificent Andes mountain range and the mysterious ruins of Machu Picchu, as well as enjoying bike rides, river rafting, shopping and hiking.

The Fee and Dates

RCDP Peru volunteer Program starts every 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month.

Every year hundreds of volunteers arrive in Peru to volunteer from UK and USA based organizations and end up paying up to $2500 to volunteer for 2 weeks. Unfortunately, only a small portion of that money actually goes to host projects and host families. The local host projects (orphanages, school, and local NGOs) in Peru are poor and need external support to run their programs. In our program, you will pay your fee directly to host families and projects up on arrival in Peru. When you join our program, we will make sure that all of your money goes to the projects and host families. Part of your fees also helps us to cover our expenses. The program fee is divided in as registration fee ($269) and weekly fee for room, food, coordination, and project donation.
Click to find the allocation of $269

In Peru, weekly fee is divided between coordination (services of local staffs), host family (room/3 local foods a day), and project donation. Cusco is expensive tourist city of Peru, therefore, nearly 90% of your weekly fee goes to cover your food, room, and coordination. While 10% of your fee goes to project as a material donation (not cash).