Reviews

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6 volunteers share their reasons why they decided to volunteer in Peru. And what it meant for them.

Read the Q & A blog post with some of our volunteers!

I stayed three months in Cusco with many other Volunteers and the coordinator, Marcelo, in two apartments in a perfect neighbourhood. I worked in a school as a sport teacher and in the afternoon in a football club. My work, especially in the School with the pupils, gave me so much happiness and love because everyone was thankful and all the pupils wanted to spent time with me. Until now I am in contact with some friends there and another teacher.
We spent our free time with doing sport, cooking, BBQs, taking some drinks in the city or just watching movies together. One great experience was the qualification of Peru for the world cup 2018. We watched the game with several thousand Peruvians at the Plaza de Armas and everyone was shouting “esta noche fuimos a mundial”.
All in all it was an awesome experience to discover a new country, learn Spanish, volunteer and develop close new friendships. Furthermore, it is possible to travel and see the great nature of Peru. Like the Rainbow mountains or to do a trip to Machu Picchu. Thanks to Thomas and Marcelo, who really cared about their volunteers and helped in every situation.

A big thank you to Thomas, Libi and Marcelo and all the other volunteers, who made my time with Peru Volunteer to such a great and unique experience of my life. I had a lot of fun and was really happy with my projects, the organisation and living with the other volunteers 🙂 Cusco became like a second home for us and it was incredibly hard to say goodbye!

I came to Peru last year having already lived in South America for some time so I did not expect to be wowed. However, the six months I spent in Cusco with Peru Volunteer ended up being an incredible experience.
Living together with the other volunteers created a basis for a lot of fun and actual friendships to be developed. Marcelo as our coordinator was always a lot of fun to spend time with! We also were lucky enough to meet Thomas who gave us a sense of how dear Peru Volunteer is to him all the people involved.
Working in the projects was one of the best times I've had in my life until this point, the feeling of walking into a classroom full of children who come running towards you to hug you and to play with you every single day is something that I had not come across before and an indescribable feeling.
Needless to say that Cusco on its own offers you a lot of culture to experience with Machu Picchu being the absolute peak of tourist attractions in all of South America. I am sad to have already left.

The accommodation was nice and perfectly situated. Besides the landscape is phenomenal. You can enjoy it by going for a run or just sitting on the roof terrace and reading a book.

I quite enjoyed my time in the school project. I was teaching English and participating in the sport classes. The kids were super cute and excited to meet new people. We had a lot of fun together and I got a first idea of how it is to teach a class. Another positive aspect is the flexibility for the volunteers. If you have any problems with your project or there is something you don’t like you can talk with your coordinator about it and together you will try to find a solution and improve your situations as best as possible.

The Spanish course in Cusco helped me a lot. I knew a bit of Spanish but I was definitely not confident in speaking to native speakers. With only two or three people and the Spanish teacher you could focus on your deficits and everybody had enough opportunities to improve their language skills. After a while you had gotten used to the language and you had no problems having everyday conversations with Peruvians.

To sum it up, I can say that my time in Peru and in the project helped me grow as a person. I am more confident in meeting new people and talking to them in a foreign language.

Already two weeks back home now after I’ve left Peru, where I got to learn Spanish and work with a lot of amazing children. I miss it and would love to go back sometime.

It took me a long time to find a good organization which provides volunteering work, because I guess that for a lot of those organizations’ the reason to exist is to make money, so it’s more like a company. Which doesn’t make any sense to me. But luckily someone told me about Peru Volunteer, I got in contact with Thomas and got to know something about the projects he is running in Peru, and immediately I got very excited to start there.

I wanted to come to South America in the first place, but talked myself out of it because I didn’t know how to speak any Spanish. I was and still am really surprised about the amount of Spanish you can learn in only one month! And it will only improve while you are working in your project, because outside of the volunteer house there are not too many possibilities to speak English, which doesn’t leave you a choice but to practice a lot of Spanish.

You can really make a big difference for the teacher you help, and of course for the kids. I loved working there and it was very hard for me to leave. In the weekends you will have enough time to visit other towns or to have a nice walk in the mountain.

Taking special leave from my job in order to realize my everlasting dream of a stay abroad in South America was definitely the best decision of my life so far. Apart from broadening my mind and gaining new points of view I got to know new cultures, learnt speaking another world language (that has a fascinating sound to my ears by the way). The experience during my 3-month English teaching project at a public secondary school in Cusco was incredibly enhancing for me and I could also learn to handle difficult situations - like the high level of noise - with calm. With the preceding one-month language course in Spanish I felt very comfortable to start teaching in my project. Moreover I appreciated the living side-by-side with the other volunteers. Making real new friends and exploring the interesting surrounding of Cusco with the historical grounds of the Incas is only a bit that is worth to mention. Summing up, even for me as a person who already has had more than 8 years of working experience, I benefited that much regarding my personal development and my future lifetime. I REALLY REALLY REALLY enjoyed my stay, honestly it can be labelled as the best stage of my life to the present! THANKS to Peru Volunteer and the other guys during my time there !!!!!

Hi, I am Karen! I’m from Holland and I am living and working in Peru for 2 months. I have been working in one of the public schools in Cusco, together with my husband, and we gave English classes to all three 5th grades and 6th grades. We also worked as a class assistant in other classes.

I experienced that it is really important to speak Spanish well, because if you work together it’s all about communication. Because I am a nurse I also worked in a health care project together with two volunteers and a nurse of the local hospital, a really nice experience.

Besides volunteering we have also time for traveling and we saw a lot of Lima, the south of Peru and Bolivia too. Thanks to the coordinators of Peru-Volunteer, they really make an afford for everyone to have a good time!

I spent 6 months in Peru, teaching English, doing sports classes, working with disabled children and organizing vacation classes. If you want to get involved and take responsibility, the organization will give you the freedom you want, as long as your idea follows the organization's do good spirit. This doesn't just help you make experiences for a lifetime, but also progress with yourself. Work in Peru is not always easy and it is demanding at times. Peru Volunteer focuses on every person specifically, to meet their expectations of your trip as good as possible. The Spanish classes are given by lovely people, who prepare you for the volunteer work in an interactive and fun way. From a personal point of view the volunteer coordinators are great people, who try to make your stay as comfortable and close to home as possible. Also, you can always integrate amazing travels in your stay in Cusco. If you're trying to meet amazing people, be creative and make tons of good traveling experiences, you should definitely check Peru Volunteer out! Overall, I had a super good time with the organization and this amazing country! 🙂

Review on 'Peru Volunteer' Felix, 21 years old, German. Well, than here we go, the big adventure PERU. After a lot of thinking I finally decided to sign up for Peru Volunteer to go with that organisation to Peru for 3 months. That was absolutely the right thing to do. Before your trip to Peru, the organisation will help you with any questions. It is for sure a good idea to arrive one or two days early in Cusco to get used to the altitude and the new time zone. You will feel the altitude in the first couple of days. You live in a cosy apartment in Cusco. Together with other volunteers you share the flat, which has dorms for girls and boys and a kitchen with everything you need. Spanish classes are great fun! You are free to decide what you do after the classes. Mostly you do something with the other volunteers, for example sports, hiking, visiting some historical places of the Incas or discovering Cusco's nightlife. I can highly recommend to go with Peru Volunteer. I lived for three months in another world which is more dirty, more complicated and more confusing than I thought. But because of that and because of the people I met and got to know, I will surely never forget my once-in-a-lifetime-experience with Peru Volunteer!

I had such a good time in Cusco with Peru Volunteer. I never felt uncomfortable or like nobody is there for me. Thomas answered all my questions whenever I had one and Marcelo was always very friendly, gave us many tips what we should visit here or where we should be very careful. In addition in case of illness they will take care about that. I have been here for two month and I wish I could have stayed longer. Very recommendable organisation with good projects.

I worked with Peru Volunteer for six months. My time in Peru started with a Spanish language course, where I was taught by very kind and capable teachers. At that time, I already got to know some other volunteers. I became good friends with some people of the organization and I am still in contact with them in Germany.

After the first month, I started with the volunteer projects. Besides working in the kindergarten, I also gave English classes and supported the sport teachers occasionally. That is also a point I really liked about the organization. Everything was very flexible and the coordinators were interested in what you wanted to do and how your projects worked. The coolest thing at the project in the kindergarten was the openness of the children towards the volunteers. In a short period you build close relationships with the children and they really enjoy playing with you.

During your work, you will get to difficult and challenging moments not only once. Due to language barriers and cultural differences you possibly bump into some misunderstandings. But if you are having an open attitude and you are willing to learn from these difficult situations, then you can develop yourself so much in six months with Peru Volunteer.

Personally, I can really recommend Peru Volunteer (and Cusco which is a city with a great historical atmosphere)!

I stayed with "Peru Volunteer" for half a year in 2015. It was a great time because I met a lot of nice people and I got to know an amazing country with its beautiful landscape and its interesting culture. Among others, I organized English classes for children, adolescents and adults who wanted to learn the language. It was so much fun standing in front of the class and having the feeling to help these people and to enable them a better future by teaching English. The coordinators of "Peru Volunteer" were always very nice and helpful. They always tried to find a solution if there were any troubles and I never had the feeling to be left alone. Everything was well organized, as far as it is possible in Peru. Of course, you have to get used to many things in Peru which do not work as you might know it from home, but especially that makes your stay a great and unique experience! I'm glad that I decided to do my voluntary work with "Peru Volunteer". I can highly recommend this organization.

Had an awesome time with Peru Volunteer in Cusco! Coming to Peru not speaking Spanish was actually not a problem, because I learned a lot in the Spanish course. Getting the opportunity to see Machu Picchu was also among my favorite moments along with the multiple hours I spent at Colegio de Fatima, the school I helped at. An awesome school with great students and a delicious cafeteria.
Thanks so much to Thomas and Marcelo especially, who made it very easy to get accustomed to life in Cusco!
Hope to come back at some point!

To go to Peru was one of the best decision I have made so far and to go with Peru volunteer made my stay in this amazing country even better. This organization showed me Peru from a completely different side, than you can experience it when you are a tourist there. I really enjoyed working with the kids, it was a new situation for me standing in front of a class, but they gave me all the help I needed and made me feel comfortable. What I really appreciate about Peru Volunteer is, that everything is so personal there. They support you in the projects, give you help and tips when you need some and you really recognize that they care about you and are trying to make your time in Peru unforgettable. I am so thankful that I had the chance to make all this experience and to meet all this amazing people.

Already two weeks back home now after I’ve left Calca and Cusco where I got to learn Spanish and work with a lot of amazing children. I miss it and would love to go back sometime. I worked for Peru Volunteer as an English teacher and assisted in Sports and English classes in Calca for two months from May to June in 2015.

Overall it was a nice experience and especially when teaching English, I got the impression that you can contribute very positively to the education of young Peruvian pupils. However living in a foreign country requires to a certain extent that you adopt local habits. So you have to live with the fact that it is sometimes not easy to coordinate your own lessons. Sometimes the room is not available or there is another project your pupils are involved in, you are not aware of. It seems that things in general are not that organized as they are in Europe. On the other hand this is also a part a volunteer can make a positive contribution, helping the school in organizing things.

The Peruvian people are very friendly and integrate you in their community, if they feel your intention to help them. In class it can be very noisy, but all in all it is a pleasure to work with Peruvian pupils. Besides my role as a teacher, some regard you as a kind of friend.

Ich heiße Martha und war 2014 von Oktober bis Dezember in Peru Teil eines wundervollen sozialen Projektes. Begonnen hat alles mit einem einmonatigen Sprachkurs. Ich hatte Spanischunterricht schon vorher in der Schule, jedoch glaube ich das nichts effektiver ist als von einem Einheimischen im Land selbst eine Sprache zu lernen. Der Spanischkurs hat mir beim Projekt und auch beim alltäglichen Leben in Peru sehr geholfen.

Während dem Projekt habe ich in in dem Dorf Calca mit noch anderen Volontären gelebt. Wir sind dadurch alle sehr zusammengewachsen und es war eine lustige Zeit miteinander. Unterrichtet habe ich an verschiedenen Schulen Sport und Englisch entweder alleine, mit einem Lehrer oder einem anderen Voluntär. Die Arbeit an den Schulen hat viel Spaß gemacht, war manchmal anstrengend und teilweise sehr bewegend. Gut war, das während dem Projekt eigentlich immer auf unsere Probleme und Anregungen zur Gestaltung des Projekts eingegangen wurde und auch meine Zeit und den Unterricht konnte ich selbst gestalten.

Peru ist ein einzigartiges, vielseitiges, buntes Land, welches aber auch einige Schattenseiten hat. Ich kann jedem empfehlen sich von diesem Land und seiner Kultur mitnehmen zu lassen. Vor allem durch das Voluntariat und alles darum habe ich unglaubliche Erfahrungen gemacht, bin selbstständiger geworden und habe viele sehr gute neue Freunde kennengelernt und mich selbst weiter entwickelt.

I followed one month of Spanish language course and two months volunteering. The whole project was an experience i definitely would not have liked to miss in my life. I loved the beautiful city Cusco - the lifestyle, the locals, the nature...and I would really recommend the project - Cusco is a perfect place to study Spanish and enjoy life! I will definitely come back again!

My time in Peru was full of new impressions, nice people and a lot of experiences. I learned Spanish in the beginners' course and after 4 weeks I was already able to speak with the native people.

Most I liked my time in Calca, where I worked at the Kindergarten and school. I starts at the first day, when the Kindergarten was opened after the summer break, and could help to get the new children used to the new situation. It was their first time without their moms and so I had to do a lot, to help them feel good. And in the end no children cried anymore. The trust of the children felt very good and I'm glad, that I was a support for the teacher and children.

In school I worked in a first class together with a very nice teacher. We corrected the first letters and started with mathematics. But most of the children started to ask me every time they saw me: “Do you speak English? What's my name in English?” It took a lot of time to calm them down. In the end I was a normal part of the school and could help.

Like everything in Peru it took time to get used to my new learned Spanish, but after a while when I went to the market, I noticed I didn't need to speak English anymore.

Overall I like to remember the time and the people I met, learned a new language and saw a beautiful, different and cordially culture.

Pasé un gran tiempo en Cusco con un grupo de voluntarios maravillosos. Cusco es una ciudad y region súper bonita y disfruté de cada día allí. Muchas gracias por todo a Marcelo y Thomas. Los proyectos son buenos, la gente es simpática y tenía mucho tiempo para viajar. Mucha suerte para todos que están ahora en perú o que quieren ir por allí!

I volunteered for about 3 months with Peru Volunteer after having a really amazing month learning Spanish in Cusco, which is a really nice city with many opportunities for cultural events but also parties and meeting new people. From my first day there I felt home, mostly because of the nice coordinators that always helped to organize and told you about the best places to go, and because of the other volunteers. My time in the projects (volleyball, teaching English) was a lot of fun. A lot of work as well, of course, but I always enjoyed doing it. The children were amazing, as were the teachers who always tried helping us if there were any problems in class. Afterwards, I spent two months traveling through South America and that was really worth it. I would recommend doing that after the projects to everyone of you!

Between February 2016 and July 2016, I volunteered for Peru Volunteer. I had an amazing time in which I got to know a lot of different people. Peru Volunteer gave me the chance to be active in several sport programmes. In the end I organised a Marathon, gave sport classes to first graders and I was responsible for my own football team. It was nice that I could partially decide how I wanted to spend my voluntary period. Peru Volunteer had the contacts and from there on I could decide in which direction I wanted to go with my Voluntary work. I appreciated that they gave me the foundation from which I could explore my own passions and preferences. Peru Volunteers staff takes time for personal contact. They organised one on one conversations with you in order to share expectations and discuss if you are still enjoying your voluntary period. All in all a great organisation if you want to get to know yourself better, meet new people and want to do good for the local communities in Peru.

Staying with Peru Volunteer is a great way to have an adventurous experience during your holidays in Peru. We lived together in an apartment in a safe neighborhood near a local market, where you can find lots of exotic and delicious fruits, vegetables and smoothies.

During my stay of two months, I was volunteering as an English teacher at a girls school and as a football coach at a local football club. The culture is a lot different to the European culture but it was one of the greatest experience during my stay, to learn lots of local habits and get completely into the Peruvian culture.

Peru Volunteer is a great organization which is perfectly organized. Our local coordinator introduced us to lots of local restaurants/food, sights and habits and he went out with us as well. He became a real friend who was there for us 24/7. During the stay, we were free, to do sightseeing and trips through Peru. I highly recommend Peru-Volunteer to everyone who wants to learn everything about the typical Peruvian way of life and wants to help at the same time. I would like to come back one day!

I spent three months with the organization Peru Volunteer. Three months full of sharing love, getting to know amazing people and exploring an incredible city, Cusco. In addition, the time here helped me a lot to improve my Spanish skills.

I volunteered in two projects; The Dog Shelter and Kusi Wasi, an orphanage for children with special needs. At the dog shelter my tasks included to clean everything, give food and water to every dog and then a looot of cuddling and playing with them. As the dogs are so lovely, I would not miss the chance to take some of them for a walk in my free time and enjoy the beautiful landscapes together.

At the orphanage the day usually started with twenty kids and youngsters screaming hola (or just screaming) and hugging me. Afterwards there are several activities we did like painting, going to a park, dancing, learning numbers or playing with some toys in the garden. If you have got your own ideas, everyone is happy when you bring them in! The children get used to your presence very quickly and will share their world with you. Patience is definitely necessary in this project, but way more important is the will to share and receive tons of love! As there are children and youngster with various disabilities and of different ages it is not always easy, but it gets easier as there are more helping hands. Some of the children lived through a terrible past but they don't give up and seeing them laugh was one of the best experiences in my life. If you have the chance to go to Kusiwasi, go there, it is unforgettable.

The apartment the volunteers of Peru Volunteer live at is very cozy and provides everything you need. I really liked its neighborhood as there is a big market where you can get some fresh juice and fruits or legumes all the time. If there are any insecurities, Marcelo the volunteer coordinator is always there to help you. Cusco is the perfect city to do some sightseeing, visiting museums, getting to know the amazing story of the Incas, drinking a coffee at its beautiful Plaza de Armas, doing party and waaay more. Muchas gracias Peru Volunteer!