The social volunteer project is called Peru Luz de Esperanza and is located in Chupaca, a district outside of Huancayo, a city to the East of Lima. I spent 10 days with the program, which I had found by randomly browsing google for volunteering experiences in Peru.
It is an absolutely lovely project which involves teaching English, helping with Kindergarten and even helping contruct the school that they are currently constructing.
The idea is to improve the teaching of the children in the are of Auhac, about 10 minutes from Chupaca, children who go to state schools where classrooms are unequipped and falling apart bascially. However, also, the project aims to involve the community and especially the parents to create a community spirit and connection to education.
Volunteers are housed, fed and welcomed into the family's home of those who run the program for $300 dollars per 2 weeks. At first I can seem a bit expensive but considering the delicious food, your comfort within the home and being able to see directly where the money goes (ie. to the children you work with), its certainly all worth it.
As I mentioned above, the project is not only supporting physically (teaching) and financially the various poor rural schools , but they are also currently constructing their own school to allow a more enriching and professional schooling for these children, and also for them to all be in one school together benefitting from new materials and a better environment for learning.
Within the community, the project has been helping out one family in particular lately. A family of 8 children but a house without a bathroom nor toilet, with one double mattress on the second floor for all the children to sleep on, not to mention the piles of dirty clothes heaped outside and within the house. Therefore, the program has been putting windows and a door on the second floor of the house and will shortly be creating an area for the family toilet, which is now a mere hole in the floor in view of all passers-by. (see below)
Despite the living situations of all the children who go to the schools that the program is involved with, they are all so loving and willing to learn, but most of all so thankful for the volunteers' teaching and involvement in the program. Every volunteer receives a welcome and leaving speech from a few of the children with words so lovely and so heart-warming, thanking you for coming so far to help and teach them.
The program had certainly touched the hearts of Evelyn and Werner, an Austrian couple who has managed to raise 6000 euros for the program. With the money, they were able to buy tables, chairs and whiteboards for the new school being built, something which allowed a huge progression in the construction which requires alot of time and especially money. The costs of that above itself came to around £1750!! for 50 students!
At first I helped out teaching to get an idea of the work level and also to be familiar with the kids. Teaching the present tense in English went well with kids about6/ 7/8, and as ever, when in doubt of a game to play, Hangman always works well! The next day however with more boys in my teaching group, it was a bit harder when they decided that they'd rather be under the table and/or scribbling in each others notebooks than paying attention to my lesson.
English lessons took place at 3.30pm at the 3 various schools alternately everyday and during a few mornings we worked at the construction site of the new school. And my god was it hard work!! Imagine yourself carrying sand bags (loaded with stones/rocks too) up a steep hill at 3400m altitude and in the sun, yep pretty hard work!! Thankfully it was only for 3 hours on 2 days, but at least we had the motivation that we were doing this for a new school for the kids we were helping.
On the Saturday, I checked out the local market in Chupaca where there was fruit/veg/household products and animals in bags or boxes as far as the eye could see! Then in the afternoon we went on a touristy trip to a village a few hours away taking in beautiful scenery en-route. We visited the house of a man who is making the metal window and door frames for the new school and he kindly prepared us some DELICIOUS trout and potatoes, but those typical of the area, a sort of sweet-flavored potatoes. He even took us trout fishing but unfortunately we were unsuccessful, the trout were definately onto us and stayed away.
The Sunday was an important day as I was party time at the new school. Using the money that Evelyn and Werner had raised, they wanted to have a party for the children of all the schools with games, food, drink and most importantly, fun as a treat for them. I have never saw children so happy and content with a few sweets and fizzy drinks, all of whom, as ever, were so grateful.
Monday and Tuesday were my last days with the kids at the schools so I bought biscuits and fizzy drinks for all. It was sad to leave but I know that I will want to continue to support and help the program in the future.
For my last night, I went with one volunteer and a teacher from the program into Huancayo to watch the Copa America as Peru and Ecuador were playing against each other. Being around guys meant a lot of beer drinking/downing and drunken debates but all in all a good night ending with Wantan soup to warm my freezing body up from the Highlands cold and a 3.30am return to the house.
What can I say, the 6am start to pack my stuff and jump my bus back to Lima wasnt the most pleasant but I had the most amazing and enriching (cliche I know) experience and would certainly recommend this program for anyone coming to Peru. A hard-working program of lovely people with hearts the size of the Moon.
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