Volunteer Bruce Peru, help street children in Latin America..Bruce Peru: 'Santiago' Centre for Street Children

Bruce Peru helps children and mothers of Santiago, Peru

Volunteer vacancies:

4 volunteers at any given time
Jul 07- Dec 07:2 vacancies
Jan 08 - June 08: 3 vacancies
On line Application
Vvolunteers & children of ' Bruce Peru Santiago '
 

Introduction

SANTIAGO CHILDREN'S CENTRE is part of a non profit organisation operating from the city of Cusco, Peru, with the aim of giving aid and support to children from impoverished backgrounds living in and around the area. A team of international and Peruvian volunteers provide food, classes and activities to children who would otherwise be in the streets - our mission is to get them educated.

First volunteers, Santiago Centre, PeruSantiago will work at getting all children to attend school and help with the provision of school materials.

In Santiago itself, we are recruiting a group of volunteers to join our trained social worker and a team of Peruvian staff to work at the project in the mornings every week day. Children will come for lessons and lunch, remaining at the centre until they are attending school regularly. The social worker liaises with parents, teachers and community members; the volunteers organise activities of a wide-ranging nature.

Volunteers coordinating the opening of Bruce Peru Santiago, Peru
Too poor 2 go 2 school

Many children do not attend school in Santiago, due one or mor of three reasons: extreme poverty (even attending free school in Peru costs about $150 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.
 Who do we need?
We are looking for volunteers to join our organisation who are interested in working with children and have conversational level Spanish . Volunteers stay for as long as they like – although we ask for a minimum of 1 month – and live in our accommodation.

What to expect as a Volunteer:

Your Job at 'Santiago' will involve:
  • Teaching children
  • Team working
  • Sport activities
  • Recreation activities
  • Teaching English to adults, evening hours
  • Promotion work

    Bruce Peru, under the auspises of the Governor of Santiago Provence, Peru
    Bruce Peru, "Santiago" was begun because of the hard work of several volunteers - Haley, Kerry, Adam and Rachael - who met the local authorities and kept telling our story.
    To read     more about Peru click HERE

    • Accommodating & 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 - also to promote the opening of other Children's Centres in Peru. This fee includes accommodation and 3 meals a day, 5 days a week.
    First 3 months €360 a month
    Next 3 months €290 a month
    After 6 months €150 a month

    Besides these activities, we welcome new ideas to make our project most effective for the children. Volunteering at Santiago 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 'Santiago' 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:

    Cerro Pesquera, Trujillo - The Region - North PeruCusco is a city of 300,000 inhabitants, the ancient capital of the Incas, largest pre Columbian empire. Situated in the high Andes, it is Peru's and one of Latin Americas most popular tourist destinations. It is also the starting point of the part of the Inca trail which ends at nearby Machupichu. Cusco carries the title of the archeological capital of America. Sacred Valley, a short drive from Cusco includes the towns of Pisaq, Yucay, Urubamba, Ollantaytambo and Chinchero, full of pre-hispanic archaeological ruins. Machupicchu, most famous Inka citadel located at the other end of the Inka trail from Cusco is considered to be one of the greatest marvels created by man. The famous Sun Temple of Qosqo was and is in practice a synthesis of the Inkan organization, architecture and religion; that had already reached the summit of their level by 1438. It possibly represented the "Navel of the World"; therefore, the world's center in the pre-Hispanic Andean Cosmovision.

    The Programme:

    Poor Children learning class room etiquette at Santiago Children's Centre, PeruOur project is located in a community centre, and is comprised of one large room (which we separate into two sections). children will attend the Bruce Peru program between 9 AM and 11:30 AM, (ending with lunch). Our volunteers organise a range of workshops and activities, including art, music, science, sport and drama. Groups are divided up according to age or ability; individual classes are also given to help with reading, writing, spelling and maths. None of these children go to school, so an important 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 Santiago centre, but rather on our principal Cusco centre, which is located 2.5 blocks from Cusco's main square. Santiago is only a ten minute taxi ride from Cusco.

    The Language School:

    In the evenings English-speaking and French-speaking volunteers give English and French classes to adults, who pay a monthly contribution to our work. Our students know that their tuition goes towards our work with the children and enables us to maintain Santiago and our other centres. Volunteers are therefore obliged to give at least one class per night to maintain our Language School. All classes are held at our main Cusco centre.

    Spanish classes are offered for free to all our volunteers.