Do you want to see the real South America?

Despite its popularity, Peru has an impressive record of clinging on to its identity and defending its native customs, but then it’s been getting in practice ever since the first Spanish tourists came with their own ideas in the 16th Century. You’ll be grateful for their resilience as you enjoy local customs and hospitality in the rural village of Chota and help build stoves for local families. In the second week volunteers join a reforestation programme and help educate youngsters about the local ecology, before visiting the important Inca city of Cajamarca. Those staying for the full three weeks will end the trip helping out in a local education centre which works with young children in the area.

Project details:
This is a unique opportunity to get really involved in a local community in a small village in northern Peru. You can choose to participate for one, two or three weeks, with each week offering a chance for you to try something completely new and different allowing you to experience a bit of everything!

• The first week is a Stove Trek. This hands-on placement will find you building fuel efficient cooking stoves for families in the rural village of Chota. These cooking stoves help to improve the health and lifestyle of the communities who use them by providing families with much needed clean and economical cooking facilities. Once you arrive in Cadmalca you will spend 5 days working alongside the community to build a stove for the family.
• If you decide to go for two weeks, you will spend the second week assisting with reforestation programs in the area, specifically educating local children about the importance of trees and the forests. You can help support and develop a reforestation and environmental awareness program, as well as demonstrating how to plant trees.
• For those who sign-up for the three week program, your last week will be spent working with street children at a local educational centre. You can help be a positive influence in these children's lives by playing games with them, reading to them and generally helping out in all aspects of the centre.

Why the project needs volunteers:
There are many families and communities in northern Peru who want and need these stoves, many more than we currently have volunteers to build them. So there is no shortage of work, and the families who receive a stove are thrilled! You can walk away knowing that you made an improvement in the quality of life for at least one family who desperately needed it. As well, the local education centre has limited funding, and any help is appreciated.

What kind of skills you need to go on this type of project:
Above all, you should be enthusiastic, hardworking, and not afraid to get dirty! Flexibility is key and a willingness to help out where needed. For the orphanage, you need to really enjoy working with children, be patient, imaginative and compassionate! Also, the more Spanish you know, the better you will get on, as the village families and the children do not speak English. As you will be in a rural Peruvian village, be prepared for rustic basic conditions.

Your role as a volunteer:
You will get involved in a variety of activities during your placement, depending on how many weeks you stay. Be ready to build stoves, plant trees, design an education program, and play with kids!

Where the project is based:
This project is based near the village of Chota in northern Peru with the Cadmalca community. Accommodation is in a lodge nearby, and volunteers will have the opportunity to explore local markets and get to know life in the community. The nearest city is 6 hours away - Cajamarca, which is famous for its importance in Inca history. Here you can find historical monuments, hot thermal baths, and colourful markets selling the local fine pottery. If staying for three weeks you will spend the final week based in Cajamarca and be able to take advantage of these activities.

You will need to arrive into Lima (LIM) on your specified arrival date. Travel to this project will be by an overnight bus from Lima, a bus ticket will be booked for you, this needs to be reimbursed to the team in Lima. You will then take a bus from Cajamarca to Chota a further 6 hours, but one of the most stunning journeys you will take.

What exactly do i-to-i provide?

It may seem like a strange concept to pay for your volunteer experience. You'd be right if you think you shouldn't and the truth is you actually don't! Your placement is free; it's the benefits around it that you pay for. It's important to note that i-to-i is a travel company and not a charity. We provide a professional travel service. We are responsible for finding and assessing worthwhile projects across the world, preparing you for the volunteering experience and supporting you whilst you're there.

Here’s some more information about what your placement fee covers….

Project sourcing and assessment

We work with hundreds of locally run partner projects around the world and are constantly sourcing new opportunities. We visit all projects to check that they are worthwhile and legitimate and we also conduct a thorough safety assessment before we'll send volunteers there. More

Expert help-desk

Almost everyone who works for i-to-i has traveled extensively or worked overseas. This means we're a goldmine of information; we're always available to offer support and guidance before, during and after your trip.

Thorough project briefing materials

Once you book on to a project you'll receive a Welcome Pack that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and project, and a DVD about how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

TEFL training

If you are volunteering on a Teaching or Community Development project then a 40-hour Online TEFL course is included in your placement fee. This is an internationally recognised and accredited certificate that will help you to make the most of your time overseas. More

Airport pickup

It can be pretty daunting arriving in a different country for the first time… especially after a long flight! If you arrive on your project start date, there'll be a welcoming face at the airport to pick you up and take you to your accommodation.

Arrival orientation

Soon after you arrive you will attend a thorough orientation with our in-country team. This is to cover important safety and security information. You'll also get some tips about sight-seeing options for your time off and maybe even learn some of the local lingo!

Accommodation and meals

Accommodation is included with all projects and meals are even included with some. We only use locally-owned and operated accommodation so that part of your placement fee is filtering back into the local economy. Most projects offer homestay, guesthouse or shared volunteer houses as standard accommodation, but some offer the chance to upgrade to a more comfortable living standard. More

Local in-country coordinators

Your in-country coordinator (ICC) will pick you up from the airport and conduct your orientation upon arrival. All ICC's are English speaking and are locals of your destination country. They won't be at your project every day, but will be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week if you need them. More

24/7 emergency support

Aside from the local support from your in-country coordinators you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by i-to-i staff in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals Docleaf to be on hand in case of a situation that requires additional expert support. More

Ongoing training

The safety and security of our volunteers is paramount. For this reason we provide ongoing crisis management and emergency response training to our local teams around the world. At the end of 2006 we flew all our in-country coordinators to the UK for thorough training to help them offer the best safety to the thousands of volunteers they support each year. More

Supporting our projects

We don't fund our projects directly, but once a year they are all invited to apply for funding for special projects or resources from our registered charity arm, the i-to-i Foundation. i-to-i funds the operation of the i-to-i Foundation and is the largest single donor. Along with the generous support of our volunteers, we have distributed over US$200,000 in funding in the last two years alone! More  

Recruiting people like you

We make no secrets of the fact that part of your placement fee is reinvested in to recruiting volunteers just like you! The volunteers recruited in one week will typically deliver over 2000 man-days of service. The difference this makes to projects overseas is immeasurable. Many of our overseas projects rely on assistance from international volunteers, so it's necessary for us to put together brochures and websites to find the people who can support them. This recruitment process is vital to ensure programs have a constant stream of reliable volunteers.

The intangible benefits

Volunteering through a company like i-to-i has a lot of intangible benefits to developing overseas communities and the individual projects that we work with. To find out more about our placements. click here

What we will do after you've booked:

• Once booked on you will instantly receive a welcome email confirming your booking with access to your online account
• We will send a Welcome Pack in the post containing further information and a t-shirt, the information in this pack should answer most things you need to know
• Community Development and Teaching customers will receive an email introducing them to their Online TEFL course
• Community Development and Teaching customers will be requested to complete a police check (where relevant) or send through a reference
• We will contact you if we require anything else e.g. CV/resume for some projects, doctors note for medical conditions etc.
• We will hound you to complete your forms and pay your final balance when they are due
• We are available for any questions you may have on 800 352 1794 or operations@i-to-i.com
• We will prepare for your trip and send you an email with final project and accommodation confirmation 21 days before you go

What you need to do after booking your place with us:

• Book your flights
• Arrange suitable travel insurance
• Fill out some extra details through our online interface:
  • application from
  • travel details
  • insurance details
  • medical information
  • emergency contacts
• Complete your police check or request your reference (where relevant)
• Do your Online TEFL Course (where relevant)
• Make final payment at least 60 days before you go
• Make sure you have a visa for your trip if its needed
• Visit a nurse or travel clinic for advice on inoculations and malaria prevention
• Read all details and prepare as much as you can for your trip
• Take contact details of the in country team and where you're going in your hand luggage - just in case!
• Get on the plane!

Orientation Information

We aim to provide you with a safe and soft landing into your destination by picking you up from the airport, giving you an orientation that helps to settle you into the country as quickly as possible. It's also the best time to ask any questions you have about your time in Peru. You will arrive on the Arrival Date - Friday (Monday if taking part in the Peruvian Andes Experience) and will be met at the airport on that day (whether it is 12 in the morning or 11:59 at night). You will be taken to your accommodation where you will have the first day/night to recover from your flight.

Note: If you're arriving early we can arrange a meet and greet for you. If you require this please contact us to arrange this service. If you wish to make your own way please contact Fiorella directly for your allocated accommodation in Lima.

Your orientation will take place the next morning and will introduce you to life in Peru as well as important information about staying healthy and safe and information on getting to your project. Over lunch you will have the chance to ask any questions of the team before starting work. If working outside of Lima then you will travel to your project the following day.

Volunteers traveling to Mancora, San Andres, Trujillo, Cajamarca (Andes experience) will have bus tickets bought and just need to reimburse Fiorella in Lima during orientation.

Insurance

It's important that you get adequate travel insurance for your i-to-i experience and as many of you will be working this often means standard policies won’t work. The good news is that no matter where your coming from we have already found a policy to suit you.

The best time to get your insurance is when you book your project as this means you can get a fully tailored policy exclusive to i-to-i, just ask your consultant for further details at the time of booking.

If you have already booked but still need insurance then you may still be able to take our tailored policy. If, however it was more than a few days ago then try the links below:

Australian customers - find out more here >>

All other customers - find out more here >>

Flights

As with insurance we advise you get these booked as early as possible to avoid high prices and to make sure you arrive on the right day. The i-to-i team is right up to date with the best deals no matter where you’re flying from; their insider knowledge could save you some time and money.

Early Airport Pick-up

If you are arriving before your designated arrival date, we can arrange for an extra meet and greet service for you. The team in Peru can offer this service for no extra charge as long as you request it. We will be there to meet you at the airport and take you to the orientation accommodation. Accommodation payment for any extra nights will then be made in country directly to the accommodation (approx 13 USD per night).

The cost of this Early Pick-up service is US$ 0.00