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Bruce Peru: in cooperation with "Hijas De Caridad"
Volunteer vacancies:
volunteers: 2 longstay female, 2 normal term of either gender.
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Introduction
'Hijas De Caridad' CHILDREN'S CENTRE is in the Parochia of Cajamarca, Peru, with the aim of giving aid and support to children from impoverished backgrounds living in and around the area, especially those too poor, abandoned or abused to attend school. The sisters of Hijas De Caridad, with participation from Bruce Peru, provide food, classes and activities to children who would otherwise be in the streets - our mission is to get them cared for and educated.
The
Children's Centre (with the help of Bruce Peru) will work at getting all
children to attend school and help with the provision of school materials.
In Cajamarca, we will recruit a group of volunteers to join the sisters in working at the project every week day morning. Children will come for lessons and lunch, remaining at the centre until they are attending school regularly. The staff of the Centre liaise with parents, teachers and community members; and the volunteers organise activities of a wide-ranging nature.
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Many children
do not attend school in Hijas de Caridad, due to one or mor of three
reasons: extreme poverty (even attending free school in Peru costs
about $110 a year), abandonment or parental abuse (children of poor
parents often are made to work instead of attending school)
Our primary goal is to get as many children into school as possible,
and this involves encouraging learning, talking to parents and in
some cases purchassing uniforms and school books. We have the more
general aim of providing children aged between 6 and 12 with fun
activities to do in the morning, to keep them occupied, together
and away from the streets, and to give extra help to those struggling
in school and with learning difficulties. |
What to expect as a Volunteer:Your Job at 'HIJAS DE CARIDAD' will involve:
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Accomodation & food costs:We ask a fee from our volunteers to keep our work going. The money goes to pay for the bills, meals, and the cost of the social worker, cook and secretary, as well as maintenance of the Children's Centre- also to promote the opening of other Children's Centres in Peru. This fee includes accommodation 7 days per week and 3 meals a day, 5 days a week.
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Besides these activities, we welcome new ideas to make our project most effective for the children. Volunteering at Bruce Peru Cajamarca can be a tiring but immensely rewarding experience. You should be able to cope with big groups of street children demanding a lot of attention and enthusiasm. You will have to be a team worker, working together with Peruvian and international volunteers. In the centre you will be a representative of the project and are expected to be responsible and behave as an example for the children. What you do in your free time outside the centre is up to you.
Volunteering at 'HIJAS DE CARIDAD' is a fantastic way of getting to know Peru, of improving your Spanish, and above all, of interacting with the community and with the children of the city in a positive and helpful way.
The Region:
Cajamarca is
a city of 110,000 inhabitants, in the Andese mountains of northern Peru.
It is the site of the largest city in the Inca Empire, has the largest quantity
and best preserved Inca ruins in Peru. Today it suffers from a range of
social problems, including bad sanitation, lack of electricity and a shortage
of food, and was recently classified as one of Peru’s poorest cities. Like
many Latin American settlements, it is characterised by an attractive and
ornate colonial centre, with the poorest parts sprawling up the mountainsides.
For the visitor it is a safe and lively place, with good restaurants and
bars, an excellent market, also there are opportunities for mountain walking,
trekking and climbing and, as a testament to the great Inca civilisation,
the place where the chief of the Incas offered Pizaro a room full of gold
treasures in exchange for the Inca Empire - can be looked down upon from
the balcony of the Girl's Orphanage. The local inhabitants are generally
kind and friendly, and we have been able to cooperate well with schools
and families in the past.
The Programme:
The
Children's Centre is located in the heart of Cajamarca, and is a relatively
new ex parochial school converted to the particular requirements of a street
children's facility. It has a number of large, bright and airy class rooms,
a modern computer centre with internet connection, an enclosed playground,
auditorium and ample dining rooms. Children attend the centre from between
9 AM and 12:30 PM, (ending with lunch) during the children's time in the
centre the sisters and volunteers organise a range of classes, workshops
and activities: including English, reading, writing, maths, art, music,
science, sport and drama. Groups are divided up according to age or ability.
None of these children go to school, so an important aspect of our program
is teaching them group discipline and study habits. We regularly plan trips
outside the centre, to play football and other games. Our international
Volunteers do not live in the Children's Centre, but rather in home stay
accommodation or (in the case of two long term female volunteers) in the
Girl's Orphanage a block away.
The Language School:
In the evenings English-speaking and French-speaking volunteers give English and French classes to adults in the Children's Centre., The small donation our students make is a contribution to the work of the Children's Centre ans our volunteers. Our students know that their tuition goes towards our work with the children and enables us to participate in the activities and expenses of the Children's Centre and our volunteers. Volunteers are therefore obliged to give at least one class per night to maintain our Language School.Spanish classes are offered for free to all our volunteers.
