Location
  • Peru
    • Cusco
Length
1 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Language
Spanish
Age Min.
17
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Host Family
Groups
Small Group (1-15) Medium Group (16-30) Large Group (31+)

Pricing

Starting Price
475
Price Details
The costs include:
- 24 hrs Assistance and support from VS Staff
- Comprehensive Pre- Departure Information
- Airport Pickup
- Orientation
- Accommodation
- Meals
What's Included
Accommodation Airport Transfers Meals
What's Not Included
Airfare Visa
Sep 30, 2024
Nov 04, 2024
91 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Volunteering Solutions, in association with the local organizations and NGOs, offers some interesting and affordable volunteering projects in the city of Cusco. Despite the popularity of Peru as a tourist destination, much of the population still lives in poverty, especially in rural areas. You can be a volunteer and meaningfully contribute towards the lives of these people. You can choose to volunteer for Teaching Project, Kindergarten Program, Disabled Care Project and others, depending on your areas of interest!

Students who wish to become dentists in future can also choose the Dental Elective Program and gain first-hand work experience by shadowing the professionals. Also, being such a culturally rich country, volunteering in Peru will help you to broaden your horizon and learn more about the country's history, heritage and lifestyle!

Consider your impact: Volunteering abroad can be a rewarding experience for both volunteers and local communities, and at Go Overseas, we believe all volunteers should have the resources to make informed decisions about the type of volunteer project they want to partake in. However, despite best intentions, some organizations offering placements in orphanages may unknowingly place children in danger. You can read about the potential dangers of orphanage volunteering here. Learn more about how Volunteering Solutions is promoting ethical volunteering.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Choose from a range of 8 different programs available in Cusco, for a minimum duration of 1 week to a maximum of 24 weeks.
  • Get a chance to do some meaningful work and gain incredible experience.
  • Go and explore the Inca Trails - hike up to Machu Picchu, and walk down the trails of Sacred Valley.
  • Go for the Rainbow Mountains trek and be amazed by nature's beauty.
  • Learn more about Peruvian culture & heritage.

Popular Programs

Medical volunteer in peru

Volunteers working in the medical volunteering program make a genuine contribution to staff working within Peru’s health clinics and medical centers. Volunteers mainly work in medical clinics which provide care and treatment to the people residing in the poor and underprivileged areas of Cusco.

Program Reviews

4.79 Rating
based on 106 reviews
  • 5 rating 82.08%
  • 4 rating 15.09%
  • 3 rating 2.83%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Impact 4.45
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.8
  • Value 4.55
  • Safety 4.85
Showing 81 - 88 of 106 reviews
Sophie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience all round

I had an absolutely amazing time volunteering for 4 weeks teaching English in a secondary school. The accomodation and food was great and I loved every moment I spent with my host family and getting to know the other volunteers. My project, although a bit challenging and nervewracking at the start, was so much fun and such a great idea of what it’s like to be a teacher. I really enjoyed it and was very sad to leave! It was also great to have all the afternoons and weekends off to travel in and around Cusco and go into the centre with friends in free time - we did so much and were always busy.
It was such an amazing 4 weeks and I feel like I have a second family in Peru as well as many very memorable experiences :) Definitely recommend it; welcoming lovely family, delcious food, organised, safe, loads to do in Cusco and great fun.

What would you improve about this program?
Wouldn’t change anything
67 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Maor
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Volunteering Mission

I reallly love the host family that I am staying with. The clinic is a little run down, not many things work but for what we do do, it great. I love helping the people of Cusco. Also, the other volunteers are great this shows good quality in the program. I will tell all my friends about this and maybe they will do it also. I hope to reconnect with this host family in the future, they have been nothing but great. Loving every second.

What would you improve about this program?
It would be nice to know a little bit more about the clinic we will be working at so we can be more prepared. But otheriwse its all great.
59 people found this review helpful.
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Amos
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Peru Healthcare Program

The the healthcare program in Peru is an excellent way to engulf yourself in another culture and build upon your own healthcare skills and learn new ones. Living with a host family really helped me settle in and feel at home in Cusco and the other volunteers were great. The staff are friendly and easily contactable if you have any problems, the clinic staff love having new faces to talk to and teach. Overall an excellent program that is affordable and worth the trip wherever you decide to go.

60 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Nguyen
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering With Deaf Children In Peru

First, my host mum Edith is one of the kindest and funniest people I've ever met. I lived in her home well fed with great food cooked by her and her maid, and I slept comfortably in a decent size room with warm blankets. Second, I had the pleasure to work with deaf children from the age of 3 - 8 at San Martin school of disability. The kids are crazy energetic. It was tiring work, and sometimes I do feel like quitting. But I learned to be patient and this would not have been possible if it wasn't for the love I have for the kids. They might be a crazy bunch, but they are so full of compassion and intelligence I just couldn't help but fell in love with them all. Last, Volunteering Solutions is incredibly fast at answering emails. One of their staffs here in Peru, Kelly, is great. She showed us around the center of Cusco and informed us about the bus system, restaurants we should eat at and food that we should avoid.
Overall, this is probably one of the most fun I have had. The program allows us a lot of free time to enjoy and explore Cusco. But this awesome experience wouldn't have been possible without my fellow volunteers. I was able to meet people from Germany, Italy, UK and America (from 4 different states) - bare in mind that there were 9 volunteers living in the same host family as I am.

What would you improve about this program?
The program should organize kids with not too much of the age difference with each other. I met this girl who was twice my age, and her interests are totally different from mine and the other volunteers'. Therefore, it was very difficult for her to follow and enjoy the conversations during the meals we had together.
I love meeting people, but on my second week here, we had quite too many volunteers that our host mum had to sleep on the couch and not have a place to sit on the dinner table. This ruined the family vibe I had with my group in the first week. However, I have to say that as a family, we did laugh a lot harder than the first week ;D
The program should inform their volunteers that there are many options regarding trips to places such as Mach Pichu. The trip offered by the program was very expensive compared to the other trips my friends and I were able to find.
It would've been a lot better of an experience if Peru would've gotten through the World Cup's qualifying round.
60 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Christian
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering Experience in Peru

My experience as a volunteer in Peru was truly amazing. From the second i stepped foot into Cusco and the school I felt safe and welcomed. I enjoyed helping the staff and the children as well as the traveling to get to know the surroundings and the culture of Cusco. With time I was given more resposibilities and I realized that we can actually make an impact in the life of the students.
The host family was great. Very nice and helpful people who stand by your side whenever you need them. My favorite part about Peru was the close proximity to locals and the variety of tasty food offered to us.

62 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
chantelle
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

chantelle's experience

I felt very safe with the staff and the people here. I do wish that it was more guided in terms of transportation as we were unaware that speaking Spanish was basically a necessity, but after the first few days we got the hang of it and I quite liked the independence of the program. Our program leader Kelly had to take me to the hospital at one point, and I have never felt more cared for. The staff, other volunteers, and our lovely host mom made us feel very accepted and welcomed. It was a wonderful experience and very affordable for me as a student looking to help without money.

What would you improve about this program?
I think a better sense of how much Spanish is required would be lovely so others can know what to expect and can learn more before they arrive.
57 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Thomas
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Thomas's trip

Most of my notes were made on my sheet where I reviewed each week, so I will try to keep this brief. The trip was amazing. For the price, I can't believe what we all got. Stay, food, and the trip included. It is great. We had so much fun. The kids were a handful but were still so amazing. I am going to miss them and hope that one day I can see them again. There were some days where they would spit on me and hit me, and some days where they would sit there and rest their head on my shoulder. Each day I never knew what to expect and I loved it. I felt like I built such a good relationship with them and when I was leaving they wouldn't stop giving me hugs. In all honesty I was nervous and not overly excited to work with kindergarten students just because I know how they can be, but by the end of the program I found myself wanting to stay longer. This program has made me want to do so much more in my community and makes me want to make more of an impact at home.

As for the after volunteer hours, my girlfriend and I had an amazing time. I was able to try Alpaca, guinea pig, lamb, and octopus. I enjoyed it all. The restaurants are amazing and all speak fairly decent english. We also got to experience some nice massages for really good prices. Everything here is priced very well and getting by is a lot easier without speaking spanish than I would've thought. Everything in this country is amazing and I want to come back one day.

What would you improve about this program?
Maybe a little more description on how traveling to the project would be. And the amount of english people speak here because we thought that there would be more.
61 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Manfredi
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Manfredi Bizzarri Review

The experience was really positive: I came in contact with a different reality I had never experienced before. The teachers were welcoming, helpful and trusting: I progressively was given more responsibilities and felt I could really make a difference in the kids' school life.
I learnt how to treat children with disabilities and I developed important skills such as patience and perseverance. Overall I am glad I chose this program since it suited me perfectly.

57 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

The site says "Pre-med, nursing, and medical students" and biomedical science is like a pre-med degree, so we assume the answer is yes. Contacting the program for their answer is also never a bad idea :)

Yes they can do that.