Help Homeless Children Thrive in Peru

My husband and I volunteered for 2 weeks at the daycare at La Sagrada Familia in March. We were amazed at how patient and caring the teachers and staff were and how welcoming everyone was toward us. It was a very rewarding experience - I would highly recommend it to anyone who has a desire to become immersed in the Peruvian culture. The program was well-run, the accommodations were safe and comfortable, the food was fantastic, and our leader was super organized, attentive to our needs, and fun!

I loved my experience volunteering at La Comunidad de Niños Sagrada Familia in Peru. Sagrada Familia is a community that ministers to the homeless and abandoned street children in Lima, Cuzco and other places in Peru. It provides them with food, education, safety, homes, medical care and, above all, love. The children come from difficult backgrounds but I have never in my life experience such love and caring.

The community is based in a compound in the middle of a very poor neighborhood to the north of Lima. The poverty can be a bit shocking, but the compound itself is very safe and the local people were very warm and welcoming. Sagrada Familia is a relatively new partner for Global Volunteers and while we were there they were still discussing ways the volunteers who visit can help the community, but there is no question that we made a difference. As Miguel, the community founder noted, just the fact that we came to see them is inspiring to the children. I split my time between helping construct new classrooms and teaching English to a sixth grade class. The hand made thank you cards I received from the class when I left are something I continue to treasure.

We volunteers stayed in the nearby seaside resort town of Ancón in a comfortable family run hotel. It was the off season, so things in town were relatively quiet, but the food was excellent and we were well taken care of.

Global Volunteer begins all their trips with a day of training to help the group get to know each other and understand what kind of experience they can expect as volunteers in the community. I really appreciate the values of community partnership and service that they bring to their programs. This was my fifth trip with Global Volunteers and it was by far my favorite and the most rewarding. I will be going back.

I have been on a number of volunteer trips, and, the Peru Global Volunteer program is far and away the best one that my family has ever been on. The organization supported (Sagrada Familia) houses, feeds and educates children in need. These children and the supporting staff are so loving and appreciative of the support provided that it makes for a meaningful and memorable experience. Global Volunteers provided training, support (including translators who accompanied the volunteers), and local leadership that ensures that there are focused, purposeful assignments. The transportation, meals & accommodations were excellent. We had a mix of volunteers ( college students, older retirees, families with young children ) that made for an exciting group. On a side note, Peru is an awesome place to visit. Most all of the volunteers traveled in the country after the service assignment. Our family went into Lima over the weekend and did some local tours, and, after our 2 week volunteer work, went up to Cusco for a week to see the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu ( a must see destination ). Volunteer programs are not all the same; I have been on ones with very unfocused or lack of meaningful assignments, some where the poor accommodations, food and safety concerns become a distraction to the purpose of the trip. This is NOT the case with Global Volunteers and Peru .... it was a fantastic location with an organized, professional staff that is engaged in supporting a group ( Sagrada Familia ) that needs and appreciated the volunteer efforts.

My daughter and I volunteered in Peru with kids in school which teaches 1400 hundred kids from PrK thru 12th grade. The school lacks resources in many areas yet the staff / teachers and kids remain resilient in their mission of education. Global volunteers in our opinion receive a genuine appreciation and affection for their contribution. We were treated professionally and well taken care of by the GV staff.
We visited Lima Cuzco and the citadel of Machu Pichu after our volunteer assignment ended
Peru is a great location for volunteers to visit a country which offers so much of fascinating history , culture and natural beauty. People are friendly and despite our language handicap we were helped whenever we needed it. Weather in general was very pleasant during our stay.

I’ve been an on-going volunteer with Global Volunteers since 1998 and have participated on 16 programs in most all the locations where Global Volunteers serves. Most of my experience has been in teaching but I have volunteered with child care in Peru, Ecuador, and St. Lucia.

In Peru, at the Puericultoro Perez Aranibar in Miraflores, I helped the orphanage’s caregivers when the infants and toddlers were first getting up to start their day. I played with the children, read, sang, and generally kept them occupied until the caregivers completed the morning wake-up tasks. I also had the privilege of working with a pair of siblings who, because of their age and gender differences, didn’t get to spend much time together during the week. This assignment allowed the children to spend time together playing and strengthening their bond as sister and brother. I saw some behavioral challenges in the children diminish over the two-week period as they learned to interact positively.

One of the most important lessons I have learned through Global Volunteers is that my role is to contribute to the long-term continuity of the program. Quick changes aren’t usually evident in a one, two, or three-week engagement but, being a small part of the community as it realizes its goals is the beauty of the program.

I cannot say there aren’t challenges, interruptions, or last-minute changes during the course of a volunteer program – that’s just part of the equation when a group of outsiders come together and interact at the behest of the hosts. Flexibility is a necessary characteristic of a dynamic group. In my experiences, Global Volunteers’ team leaders, community hosts, organization leadership and staff continually strive to make the volunteer experience one that serves as a catalyst for change; to enrich the community and the individual. For me, it is the servant-learner aspect of these programs I find so rewarding.

My family of five traveled to Lima Peru with Global Volunteers in the summer of 2018. One reason we chose this organization are the promises they make about ongoing programs in the host country and collaboration with local volunteers. This made me feel this organization was interested in sustainable long term progress and not short term feel good voluntourism. Boy were we wrong. Early on, we began to have doubts as to how we were going to help. As the week progressed it became clear that there were no ongoing community programs that Global Volunteers was involved with. Luckily we had a fluent Spanish speaking person on our team so we learned that the local high school we were supposed to be working at hadn't even heard of our coordinator let alone Global Volunteers. Bottom line is that the organization had a lot of problems that they were aware of and didn't try to fix them. Instead, they tried to trick us into feeling like we were helping. The four families on the trip all left after one week. We had not previously met but were all united in our feeling of being cheated. When we wrote a detailed account of all the problems, the CEO sent me a letter from a lawyer saying we have waived our right to sue for negligence. That tells you all you need to know. I regularly volunteer with medical organizations abroad and have had wonderful experiences. I highly recommend finding a more reputable organization.

I spent two weeks in Peru in 2005 working at the orphanage in Miraflores. I spent the morning on a work crew that upgraded the laundry facilities. I worked with three other volunteers and the work crew, who knocked down a wall, built forms, mixed and spread concrete (by hand) and painted the walls. We worked hard and, I believe, gained the respect of the workers for all that we did. (I have a feeling that they thought that we would not complete the project.)

In the afternoon I hung out with the kindergarten boys. They were energetic and spunky and a tremendous amount of fun.

I even had the opportunity to rock to sleep the toddlers!

I probably had a greater impact with the work in the laundry. I did accomplish what I wanted to do -- do good for someone else.

The Global Volunteer staff on site were knowledgeable, friendly and supportive. The hotel we stayed at was perfect -- locally owned with terrific food and accomodations. The food throughout was so good that as a group we felt guilty eating so well. The staff made sure we had opportunity to see other places in Peru and the city of Lima.

It was a wonderful experience. Had I not gotten married and had a family, I am sure I would have taken another trip with GV.

The most precious children who need your care and love. If you love children, you will have a great work experience in Peru. Lima is a wonderful city, felt safe in the work environment and in the city. The host hotel is wonderful and provides all kinds of help for every team.