Have you got a big heart?

The constant flow of travellers to their shores hasn’t blunted the enthusiasm with which Peruvians welcome new arrivals. These projects in Peru's capital, Lima are no exception; offering a range of projects working with kids of all ages in the city. None of these babies, children or teenagers have had the best start in life and receive shelter, food, education, health care and plenty of much needed attention at the shelters. Volunteering here will give you the chance to understand the challenges facing Peru's youngsters and give them some much needed assistance.

When you book this trip US$75 of your fee is used to purchase educational books, craft materials or equivalent through our Big Giving programme.

Trip Highlights:

• Making a positive impact on the lives of these disadvantaged children
• Living with and learning from your homestay family
• Taking a bike tour through the city - a great and different way to spend some of your free time

Itinerary

Day 1 (Friday) - Welcome to Lima (Airport code LIM)

Today you’ll fly into Lima airport and be collected by our local i-to-i team who will be waiting in the arrivals hall holding our logo!

You’ll be transferred to a friendly home stay for your first night in Peru, who will welcome you into their home and tell you all about Peru! Our feedback shows that this is one of the highlights of the trip and a great opportunity to learn more Spanish! Depending on what time you arrive into Lima, you’ll have time to unpack and see the sights of Lima.

Tonight though, you’ll most likely be needing a good night’s sleep, so relax and we’ll check in with you in the morning.

If you aren’t able to arrange a flight to get you into Peru on the designated arrival day then we’d recommend you fly in a day early. We can arrange an early airport pick-up for you including one night’s accommodation for an additional fee. Please call us for more information.

Day 2 (Saturday) – Orientation time!

Good morning! Welcome along to your first day in Peru and an orientation to get you started.

The orientation will take place at your in country team’s residence and will take you through what it’s going to be like at your project, do’s and don’ts, how to stay safe and it’s your prime opportunity to ask any burning questions that you haven’t yet had answered. After the orientation you’ll have some time to relax and prepare before your first day at the project tomorrow.

Day 3 (Sunday) – Free time

You have a free day today before starting at your project tomorrow, so make the most of it! Attend church, take a bicycle tour around Lima, browse around the shops and don’t forget to call home to let them know you’ve arrived safely!

Day 4 (Monday) – First day on your project!

Well here it is! The day you’ve been waiting for! You’ll be accompanied to the project by one of our team in the morning, and introduced to the staff, children and teenagers at the project. Take time to get to know everyone, it’s your fastest route to getting settled in and getting the most out of your time here.

By the end of today you’ll have made new friends and have learnt several new things to take away with you; and it’s still only your first day here!

Following days (Tuesday to Friday) – Become part of the furniture

We really mean it – don’t put too much pressure on yourself for the first few days, everything will fall in to place naturally over the time you are here and you’ll soon feel part of the furniture. The first few days are purely set out to get to know everyone and find your way around. You’ll fall very quickly in love with the place though!

Days 9 and 10 (Saturday to Sunday) – The weekend is here!

Yippee it’s the weekend! Time to get out and explore more ofLima! There’s obviously only a certain radius that you will be able to cover in two days but we recommend heading to Plaza Mayor - the center of Lima's historical area with a cathedral, palace, restaurants and lots more – just don’t forget your camera.

Miraflores is also well worth a visit - the neighbourhood that’s home to Lima’s wealthier residents and is a popular location for its beach, restaurants and clubs to dance the night away!

Make sure you also visit some of Lima’s museums as with such a rich history there is a lot to see and learn!

Following weeks

However long you are booked to stay here, the following weeks will pass by in a blur, so make the most of every day, every opportunity, and every person you meet and make lots of memories to keep with you, long after your trip has finished.

Your Last Day (Friday)

Your last day has come around already! We told you it would whizz by! We hope you’ve had the time of your life with us and wish you a safe onward journey from here, wherever you are heading.

Please note that the return airport transfer is not included but is easily arranged by taxi. A taxi to the airport costs around US$15 and will take around thirty minutes so please budget for this.

Project

What does the project do?

We currently work with a number of projects, the first is the 'Hogar Ermelinda Carrera' was founded in 1896 by a Franciscan nun and is a home for around 180 abandoned or orphaned girls. In this home, the girls, whose ages range from 12 to 18, receive shelter, food, education, health care and much needed attention. Ermelinda Carrera is a charity. The project receives funding from the government and from donations from the community and private companies.

The “Casa Hogar Virgen del Carmen”, was founded in 2006 through an agreement of the local government and the Italian organization “Fondo Italo-Peruano”, and started operating in January 2007. The Hogar offers a home to approximately 60 teenagers aged between 12 to 18 years who are considered to be under physical or psychological risk. These girls used to live on the streets and came from an area in Lima of extreme poverty. This home provides the girls with shelter, food, education, health care and attention. Some of the teenagers also have their babies living with them.

La Casa de Los Petisos was founded in 1985 and offers a home to approximately 35 boys aged between 10 to 14 years. These boys are considered to be under physical or psychological risk and may belong to families that are from the extreme poverty sector or have been sent to the home under the advice of the local judge. The home provides the boys with shelter, food, education health care and attention.

The Centro Infantil Municipal Nina Maria is a project that needs female volunteers to help the local staff look after the babies and young children aged between 6 months and 5 years. There are approximately 90 children in the centre who are looked after while their parents go out to work and are given an opportunity to learn English from an early age. The project has been opened since 1981 and give the children the care, attention and education that they need.

What’s the project like?

The girls at Ermelinda Carrera and at the Hogar Virgen del Carmen are desperately in need of care and support and as the home is short staffed it welcomes any help that you can provide.

You will be able to support the girls at the Hogar project, providing them contact with the outside world and helping them on a daily basis. You will also be able to help staff at the centre. Please note that this project takes only female volunteers.

The boys at La Casa de Los Petisos need some care and attention, also need your help with doing their homework and being motivated to learn. They love sports so you can help be a coach! Don’t forget your whistle!

The young children at the Centro Infantil Municipal Nina Maria need to be able to learn English from an early age from native English speakers, and need to have the care and attention that all children deserve.

As the locals do not speak that much English, you'll get more from your experience by learning as much Spanish as possible before your arrival. Basic Spanish is fine, but the more you know the better, although you will also probably find that the children will be very eager to teach you too!

You need to be compassionate, affectionate, patient and you should definitely enjoy working with children! You’ll be informed of which project you are working with on arrival, but let us know if you’d prefer to find out before you arrive.

Why does the project need volunteers?

All children deserve the very best childhood they can imagine. The local staff at the project are trying their best to fulfill this by themselves, but they need as much help as they can get. Your pair of hands will definitely be put to work and utilised throughout your stay!

Each of the projects needs help in different areas, but the main reason they love volunteers is because the children have the benefit of interacting with native English speakers from an early age, which increases their chances of gaining better employment as they grow older.

Activities and schedule

We’ll happily have you join us for around five hours per day, between Monday and Friday. Of course any extra time that you can give is appreciated and any extra-curricular activities you’d like to initiate or get involved in are welcomed!

There are so many different activities to get involved in during your stay! All activities are based around confidence building and learning through creative education; so there are plenty of opportunities to lead or attend workshops around cooking, sewing and knitting, sexual health and education and improving reading and writing skills.

The children also love sports; so feel free to get involved in some coaching!

Project resources and advice

Based on previous volunteer feedback, we’d recommend you bringing the following items with you from home:

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 fora 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 an online account that contains loads of general information about volunteering, about your chosen country and how to have fun and stay safe. We'll also give you advice on visas and inoculations.

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 team will arrange a pick-up for you at the airport and will conduct your orientation upon arrival. All coordination teams 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 team you'll be given access to a 24/7 emergency phone line manned by our response team in case any problem should arise while you're overseas. We also hire crisis management professionals 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. We also fly in our in-country coordinators to the UK regularly 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 from the project fee that you pay us. Instead we choose to support a number of projects through our Big Giving initiative to provide resources to those projects that really need it.

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

Next Steps

What we will do after you've booked:

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  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.

Flights & Insurance

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.

EU Customers – find out more here >>

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.

Accommodation

What type of accommodation will I be in?

Your accommodation in Lima is based within home stays with a local family. They are all comfortable and well equipped with electricity, running water and hot showers – it’s your home away from home!

Accommodation facilities

You’ll have a shared bedroom with another participant of the same gender as you. If we aren’t able to place two people together, we’ll make sure you’re as close together as you can be. Each bedroom has two single beds and storage space for your luggage. Basic bedding will be provided but you are welcome to bring a sleeping bag if you plan to go travelling at the weekends. We’d recommend that you bring your own padlock to keep your valuables secure.

There is a shared family living space so you might like to take items such as playing cards or books to bring in to the family space. Your new family will be keen to spend time chatting and getting to know you and we’d encourage you to get as involved in family life as much as possible. The bathrooms will be on a shared basis with the family and have running water, shower and Western style toilet. There isn’t a huge demand for hot water because the weather is already hot, and you’ll find that you won’t miss hot showers all that much!

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included; expect traditional (and delicious!) Peruvian meals such as: rice, beans, salad, meat, poultry, pasta, fish, etc.

Things to bring from home

Based on previous volunteer feedback, we’d recommend bringing the following items with you from home:

Where is the accommodation?

You’ll be based in Lima during your stay – the capital city of Peru! There’s so much to explore and see during your stay here that you’ll struggle to see it all.

You are within walking distance of every kind of amenity you’ll need; whether it is banks, shops, internet cafes, restaurants, bars or even hospitals, there’s nothing you’ll miss from home!

Lima itself is a beautiful city and easy to navigate. Don’t forget that you’re living with a local family who will also happily show you around and show you sights that you wouldn’t find in your guidebook, so throw it out the window!

How far is it from my project?

You’ll have an exciting Peruvian commute each day as you take the public bus to your project. The bus takes approximately 30-40minutes and will cost around US$6 each week so please budget for this cost. If you are placed at the Hogar Ermelinda Carrera project, the walking distance is around 35 minutes. You’ll be accompanied on your first day and will find your way around Lima easily!