Bruce Peru Lima: "Ventanilla" - Volunteer Bruce Peru Lima, Poor Children's Centres - in cooperation with Kinder Zon (nl)

. Bruce Peru Lima: "Ventanilla" Children's Centre

164 extremely poor children have passed through this shanty school since May 2005: 102 are still in school
[1 in 4 kids missed out on education - we teach them what they missed,then sponsor them in state school]

Bruce Peru Lima, helps poorest children in Ventanilla squatters camp

Staff Complement: (Normal) - Licensed Teacher, Teaching ast, Social worker, Psychol.
Also local volunteers to help teachers, recruit out-of-children and abandoned mothers. : Part time.
New Sponsor: Why not you?*

Introduction

'VENTANILLA' CHILDREN'S CENTRE is in the Ventanilla community of the 'Cono Norte' slums on the north side of Lima, Peru. Our aim is to give aid and support to the children of the families (mostly ababndoned mothers) who squatted this sandy mountain over the past 10 years. But there is improvised electricity, no water and too many children not in school.Water is trucked in several times a week. Bruce Peru have agreed to provide basic education to children who could not get into school.

Bruce Peru School inVentanilla - a poor house serves very well The Ventanilla Children's Centre is an hour and a half bus ride from the Miraflores centre - it requires very dedicated volunteers. But when they get there every day they are rewarded by well behaved children, hungry to learn.

We built the Ventanilla school ourselves, right on to the back of the home of our local co-directorever. Ventanilla is isolated from the rest of Lima, it lies at the far end of the northern cone (the 3 main valleys leading out of Lima are called cones "conos"). Our children live in shanty houses lining the steep hills on either side of the valley 'conos' .

Bruce Peru Ventanilla director, Rosa Caycho
Bruce Peru Ventanilla

Many children do not attend school in Ventanilla, due to one or mor of three reasons: the nearest school is too far away, 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 also are prepared to educate those children who cannot get into state schools.
Who do we need?
We are looking for volunteers to join our organisation who are interested in working with children and have a working knowledge of Spanish . Volunteers stay for as long as they like – although we ask for a minimum of 1 month .

What to expect as a Volunteer:

Your Job at 'VENTANILLA CHILDREN'S CENTRE' will involve:

Teaching children
Team working
Sport activities
Recreation activities
Teaching English to adults, evening hours (back at Lima central)
Promotion work in Lima.

Cchildren in our home made Ventanilla school. The plastic roof keeps out the winter rain and lets in what light there is. New building comes soon.

Our cost for one child, first term:

A teacher, assistant, social worker, psychologist, a meal a day each day they attend, some medical, some clothes, registration fee to enter state school, books-supplies-starter kit and a uniform when they have passed the entrance exam to enter the class other children their age are in: €150.

Sponsoring them in State school, each term:
Uniforms, meals, classs materials, event fees, transport, fotocopies €70 [after a year parents try 2 pay this]

From Time 2 Time

Volunteers

On line Application

To read more about Peru click HERE

Besides these activities, we welcome new ideas to make our project most effective for the children. Volunteering at Bruce Peru Lima 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 PeruVillan 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 'Ventanilla' 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:

More than 400 years ago, the Spanish conqueror ("conquistador") Francisco Pizarro named Lima the City of the Kings ("Ciudad de los Reyes"). Nowadays, that same city, which rose from the lands of the native chief Taulischusco, is a metropolis of over 7 million people who proudly preserve the colonial convents and mansions which are symbols of their ancient and noble traditions. Lima, capital of Peru, founded on January 18, 1535, is a modern city which, while constantly expanding, has also managed to maintain the elegance of its Historic Center. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Center, due to the large number of artistic monuments found there, Historic Lima is an enchanting haven of a period long gone.

The Programme:

Bruce Peru Ventanilla, Lima - classes for children who cannot get into school: due to poverty, abandonment or abuse

The Children's Centre is located in a fairly large recreation hall ub the heart of the Ventanilla slum. It has no running water, but classes are in the mornings when there is usually light except in winter, and we bring in our school materials. Our international volunteers leave Miraflores at 7:30 AM and are in class teaching the children by 9:AM. Children attend the centre between 9 AM and 12:30 PM, (ending with light lunch). Durting the morning volunteers and local teachers 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 and/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 and activities..