The Most Affordable Volunteer in Peru - 25K Volunteers Since 2006

My first volunteer experience in Cusco. Poor advice on local accommodation. Local transportation not provided. Feeding on your own. Language barrier a major factor. Limited site orientation. Airport pickup on arrival. Arranged a private accommodation. Feeding and accommodation cost should be separated from the fee. Provision of interpreter should be
explored. Overall, it’s a unique and interesting experience. Regular training should be offered to country coordinator and staff. Improving the presence of IFRE in a country should be made a priority.

I spent 4 weeks volunteering at the hogar "Juana de Aza". I had the opportunity to get to know the incredible and sad stories of the young mothers living and working there. During the day I usually spent my time playing with the kids and taking care of the babies. I was responsible, together with another girl working there, of 11 kids, ranging in age from 5-6 months to 5 years old. I have to admit it wasn't always easy dealing with these kids, but in the end these young, energetic and curious human beings gave me a lot more compared to what I gave them, and for this reason I will always remember them and this incredible experience.
The support from the organization was helpful at the beginning, with their in-country coordinator being always there in case of necessity. The families that collaborate with IFRE were super nice and made me feel like at was at home.
Sadly there were not other volunteers while I was there, and even if there were, probably the opportunities to interact with them are not really facilitated by the way the program is organized. Of course I had the opportunity to meet other people during my freetime, but I feel the need to say that this volunteering program does not facilitate social interactions, so be prepared for that.
Also it is better to know some Spanish to better interact with the kids and the moms. This is not mandatory of course.
The cost of the program are overall okay, not cheap imo, but the quality of the accommodation is high.

I am thoroughly enjoying my experience in Peru. My language has improved enormously thanks to my classes, Roger, and my host family who have all helped me so much. I have the best support if I need it and I am completely welcomed into my family. The project is rewarding and I feel like I’m making a positive impact on the lives of the Mamas and the children I am working with. In order to properly experience the project, I recommend coming for more than 2 months in order to establish real relationships with those you are helping and working with.

I had an amazing experience during my volunteering project in Cusco, Peru. My host family was great. Maria cooked great meals and was always friendly and ready for a chat. Roger, my coordinator, was the best he gave me a great background on the orphanage with teen mamas and their children. He really tries to help them in any way he can. On a Sunday Roger showed me around the ruins in Cusco, with some history lessons and we went to a local restaurant to try the best local Ceviche. The work at the orphanage was an incredible experience - helping the moms at their daily work and taking care of the kids was very rewarding! In my free time I was able to visit the Inka ruins in the Cusco region, culminating with the Machu Picchu visit, which is hard to describe in words - it was breathtaking! In Cusco you have everything you want - great Peruvian food, good pubs, a lot of friendly foreign travelers and the best night life in Peru! You your looking for an amazing experience, I can only recommend Cusco! Thank you!

IFRE and our in country coordinator Roger helped make our 3 generation volunteer opportunity a memorable life changing experience. My mother, daughter and myself traveled to Peru to work in the orphanage with teen moms and their children.

Host Family:
Roger met us at the airport and brought us to our host family right in Cusco. The host family he chose was a perfect fit. It was also a mom, grandma and daughter. Abuela and Memere ( my mom) hugged before we left each day as abuela told us to take care of her. The location and room were perfect for our family. We were able to walk to the town square as well as to the orphanage.

Volunteer Site:
We volunteered with teen moms and their children. It was our role to care for some of the children as the moms were at work or school. When the mom’s were there we would work alongside them and the director caring for the children. We were originally supposed to work in the morning but found there were more children and a greater need for us in the afternoon so we were able to switch our time.
Our only recommendation is that if you know you will be working with school aged children you have some spanish background before you arrive. We did, at times, struggle with this communication barrier.

In Country Coordinator:
We are grateful to Roger for his enthusiasm. It is evident that he loves his job and believes in the program he is a part of. He gave us basic background about the moms and children we were working with so we could further understand the circumstances and help in a meaningful way. He answered our questions quickly and with care.

He also gave us so much knowledge about Peru and Cusco. When we inquired about a specific landmark site he offered and took us to see it and gave us some added history as well. He was willing to help with any task.

I would recommend this program and organization to anyone.

Experiencing Cusco was amazing, the host family was extremely nice and made great meals. Our country coordinator Roger was extremely helpful and was very experienced. It was so much fun playing cards and talking to the host family and Roger as they taught us many things about Cusco. At the start of the clinic I did almost nothing but each day you get rotated to another position so my experience at the clinic got progressively better throughout the week and you really start to see how the clinic is run. The only problem is if you don't speak Spanish, then you will barely be put to any use at the clinic. Once our volunteering was over we did activities such as Machu Picchu, rainbow mountain, and an ATV trip, all of which I would highly recommend.

Volunteering in the clinic in Cusco, Peru was an incredible experience. I was able to learn about the Peruvian healthcare system while also working on my Spanish skills. I was able to volunteer in different areas in the clinic such as in the triage, wound care, with children and in gynecology. I was able to help the nurses, doctors and patients during the entire experience. My host family was so much fun and the food was amazing. Maria is such an incredible cook! Roger took such great care of me and my friends the entire time. Spanish was also very enjoyable for me and my friends and we were also able to travel around Cusco between the clinic and Spanish class. Overall, this trip was amazing and I had such a wonderful time. I was able to see so many areas of Cusco while learning about the culture and healthcare system.

I had a great time working in a clinic in Cusco Peru. It was fascinating to see how the health-care system runs there, and help out. Having worked for almost 2 years in clinics and hospitals elsewhere, I can honeatly say that the ministry of health in Peru does life-saving work with limited resources. From vaccinating highschoolers against measles, mumps, and rubella, to stitching up lacerations, I appreciated the opportunity to practice my skills. The people in the clinic were warm and appreciative. My host, Maria was welcoming and lovely. She took excellent care of me in her beautiful home. My country coordinator, Roger, we above and beyond to help me enjoy the city and feel safe. He honestly cares about the work he does and wants the volunteers to, as well. I loved staying in the house with the other volunteers, sharing meals together, exploring the markets, and playing cards at night. Great experience!