Peru

Kaya provided an amazing support for a volonteering experience! The projects proposed by Kaya are all local initiatives, where Kaya helps to provide volonteers, while providing great support to volonteers upfront for preparing the travel and on site for all questions.
I spent 3 weeks in Cusco, Peru, helping a the "young mothers" project:
https://www.kayavolunteer.com/project/volunteer-support-young-mothers-peru/

This project provides shelter to young women, actually still teenagers or even almost children (13 to 20 years old), who got a child and have lost contact with their families. At the "Hogar", they get a place to live, learn how to take care of their children, go to school and learn a profession, until they are ready to be independent. As volonteers, all initiatives are welcome. A lot of time is spent in taking care of the children, who are adorable(at the time I was there, they were 11 months to 2 years), in helping in daily duties like cooking and washing, but also any ideas for activities with the young mothers are welcome: teaching english, music, drawing, cooking...

The young mothers are lovely, very curious to learn about the volonteers and as volonteer you feel bound to them very quickly. Speaking spanish is not compulsory, as taking care of the children does not required to speak spanish. But it is very rewarding to speak at least a bit of spanish to increase the contact to the young mothers. After 2 weeks in Peru, I finally could speak a little bit and it was so rewarding!

Taking spanish lessons is possible. Both the project and the spanish lessons are in the center of Cusco which is a very beautiful city with a lot of things to see and to do.

Overall, an amazing experience!

Volunteering abroad is a great experience! I am a minor who went to Peru to work at a project helping teen moms. I stayed at a host family with 5 other volunteers. They gave us three meals a day which was lovely. We had a good balance between independence and support. There was a hard situation with one of our roommates (who also wrote a review) that ended very badly. Our volunteer coordinator gave us a lot of support and it seemed everyone worked hard to fix the situation. However there was a threat of violence against us so our roommate was offered another place (host family) to stay which we all hoped would diffuse the situation. She refused that option and things escalated from there. After the point of threatening, she was given two options: move host families or leave the program. She chose to leave the program. She was given a refund for the part of the time she did not get to enjoy. I feel that Global Crossroads handled a hard situation very well. A lot of the information that is given is a not what I experienced. I had a wonderful time volunteering with Global Crossroad.

I want to write my horrible experience with Global Crossroad. I booked for 8 weeks a Voluteering Programm in a Orphanage in Peru. The probems started already with the Founder of Global Crossroad. I paid 845 us Dollar Fees to the Organization via Bank payment excluding 4,3 % Credit Card Charge, 195 US Dollar for Travel Insurance via Bank payment and 400 Us Dollar for a spanish class via Bank payment. Firstly, the calculations for the 8 weeks and the credit card charge of 4,3 % were wrong. The stay of 8 weeks were also not calculated correct. Secondly, after al this payment I was waiting 3 weeks for my confirmation of my Travel Insurance, which I didn't receive. After requring via mai twice for my travel insurance , i decided to book a travel insurance on my own. I wrote Global Crossroad that in the meantime I bought online my own travel insurance and i want a refund of the travel insurance , which i already paid to Global Crossroad.
Mohan, the Founder denied to cancel the Travel insurance.
On the Webpage is mntioned that Volunteers stay with a Hostfamily, but as I booked the Project with Global Crossroad I was asked to pay a 30 US Dollars per day for 8 weeks for accomodation, which I rejected.
After booking and payment I got no information with which Hostfamily and where exavtly I am staying. There was also no information what kind of room I will have.
The email contact was to Mohan, the founder of the organization and the two home coordinators in Peru, Angelika Schmidt and Wildon Parra.

I was picking up by Wildon Parra. I had to pay 20 US Dollar cash for the pick up from the Bus station and further 812 US Dollar for the Home Coordnators in Cash. The 20 US Dollar for pick up is an absolutely rip off, because the taxi cost about 4 to 5 soles. 1 US Dollar is 3.3 Peru Soles. But this is not the only rip off. Global Crossroa offers on his Webpage a 3 tour Travel to Machu Pichu for 299 US Dollar. In cusco are a lot of Travel Agencies. My cheapest offer for a two day trip with a stay in a hostal was 70 US Dollar.

I stayed in the House of Wildonm Parra´s Mother. At this time there were 6 other Volunteers in this House. I had to share a smal room with two 15 Year old Girls and a 28 Year old Woman. At I arrived was told that I just need to stay one night in the 4 bed shared room, than I wil move to a another room, where I have to share the room with a 18 Year old girl. But in this "double" room wre just space for one big bed, which the 18 Year old girl was using. There as not enouggh space for a second bed. The other oportunity was to sleep on a matrace on the ground. After one night in the 4 bed shared room and 10 days in the "double" room, I would move to a single room. At the end I had to stay 6 days in the 4 bed shared room and my single room would be not available for the next further 10 days.

Everything was totally unorganized. We were told that we will get a timeschedule, but nothing happened. I never met Angelika Schimidt, the other home coordinator, although I had before a few e mail conversation with here and i thought she would be also responsible for me.Instead of Angelika schmidt, another former Volunteer Alica was the only person, who was available for probems and questions. Alica is a 19 year old former Volunteer, who is the Girlfriend of Wildons´s Brother. She stayed in a better looking house with Wldons Brother just infront of my Hostfamily. I was told that Alcia is working for Wildon and is responible for every requires , although she was never mentioned in my description and confirmation document of the project.
We had at 7:30 Breakfast at the Hostfamily then took 25 minutes drive with the bus to town to the Spanish classes, which started at 8. At quarter to ten the spanish classes finished and we went directly to the orphamage. If you choose a day shift, which I had to because I had spanish classes in the morning the work at the orpahange ended at 1 o clock in the afternoon. So at the afternoon i went home to have lunch after lunch we wer free to go back to the orphanage or have free time.

The stay with the 15 year old grls was rally hard, because they skipped there Spanish classes and went changed ther shifts at the orphanage , how they want. They also didn´t talk to the orpahange if they wll come in the morning or in the afternoon, so it was a bit chaotic at the orphanage. There were also more problems.

The two 15 year old girls were out at night, came back home at 1 0 clock in the night and were hammering at the door, because they had no key, although a key were given to them. One of the girl jumped one my bed and woke me up.I was so mad at them and said that they should tale care and be quiet. The other 15 year old girl set at the next morning the tmer at 6 o clock in the morning to wake me up on purpose, because i was mad at them the night before. I had just 3 hours sleep. it was hard to go with less sleep to spanish classes and then to work in the orphanage. I told Alica and Wildons´s Brother that want to talk with Wildon about the 15 Year old girls and that I want to change my room. I also them that I am conceirn about the girls , because the annoying girl was also not nice to the babies in the orpahange. I told them that the other volnteers are complaining aboout this girl and that i saw how she left one of the Babys crying one a chair and went away to pay with her phone.
Unfortunately Wildon didn{t want to come to clear the situation. I had to talk with Alica and Terence, a 22 Year old Volunteer. I stoll don´t know if Terence is also working for Wildon or for Alica, because he was also involved in all discussions and probems. He was a one of the volunteers , who stayed in my Hostfamily too.
Wldon rejected to come to clear up the situation. After I forced to talk to him, he called inthe evening and talked to me at the phone about the situation. I told him that I am not satsfied with the situation and that I want another room. Alica and wildon forced me to move to another Hostfamily. They said that his Mom would loose the Money of two volunteers, if the two 15 year old girls have to ove. So it would be easier to ove me to another Hostfamily.
But I didn´t want to move to another Hostfamily for three reasons. Firstly , I needed two days to find the right way from my hostfamily to the orphanage and spanish classes, secondly I was feelng comfortable with the Hostfamily and thirdly I wouldn´t know if I would stay with such nice Hostmom, because I herad from other Volunteers that they had problems with their Hostfamily. I just didn´t want to stay in one room with two 15 year old girls, who were just for travelng and partying their instead of volunteering. After I forced Wildon to come over, he finally came in personal and talked with me and the girls about the situation, which I suggested to clear up everything. After Wildon talked with the gilrs the situation got better and I stayed 3 further nights without any noice or probems in the 4 shared bedroom.

But then the situation got worst and worst, because Wildon didn´t respect anything I told him and he was really mean at the end. Wildon, Alica and terence said that because I was soo bad at the girls I would harm them , so I have to live the Hostfamily. After 4 days just of discussions even during I was eating my lunch that I have to leave the Hostfamily, at the sixth day of my stay at saturday evening , Wildon said he made the desicion that I have to leave the Hostfamiy or he will through me out of the Project, if I wil not leave the Hostfamily.
After I rejected to leave the Hostfamily he through me out of the project and said I have to leave now. At 8:45 pm in the freezing night I had to pack my stuff and was throwing out of the House. Wildon told the other volunteers that he would bring me to my office, but instead they called a Taxi and brought me together with Alica andWldons Brother Saturday night to Starbucks at the Plaza de llamas in Town and left me there with my luggage. After I forced that I want my ,oney back, Wildon kept the 20 US Dolar and the one week payment for the Hostfamily and refund me the rest I paid to him. And then Wildon, Alica and Wildons´Brother left me alone with my Luggage at the starbucks in town. I wi not mention exactly all bad words he also said to me like I am a bad perosn and stuff like that.
After they eft the security man of Starbucks saw me helpless with all my stuff and asked me what happened. After I told hm what happened he brouht me after his shift was finished to a taxi and gaved the taxi driver the instruction to bring me to the tourist police. In the dscription of the organization and in the email conversation I ve been told not to walk alone in the night in cusco and be careful with taxis, but the Homecoordinator left a 38 year old female alone with her luggages somewhere in the town alone without any accommodation or help.
Finally at 12 o clock in the night the Tourist police brought me to a hostile, where I am still staying and trying to change my flight details to get back home as soon as possible.

Today I met two volunteers of my spanish classes and I asked them for help and if they know another cheaper Hostal. Wildon came along, saw me talking with the two Volunteers and got very aggressive. He said I am not allowed to talk to the Volunteers and I am not allowed to enter the spanish classes. I paid 400 Us dollars, I didn´t got a refgund and I am not allowed to enter the spanish classes.

it doesn´t matter with which organization you go as an volunteer to peru. The Head coordinator is Wildon and he make all desicions. I def know that three of the Housfamilys are Family members of Wildon. My impression s that the money doesn´t go in total to the project. Wildon has co workers, which he call Co-Coordinators. For me it is very suspect that a 19 Year old former Volunteer, who is in a realtionship with his Brother lives in a good House, where most of the People here are living in Poverty. I am also didn´t understand why another Volunteer was invoved so much in all requires and discussion, if he is just their to volunteer.
I brought two pastic bags of donation for the orphanage, I paid a lot of money to go to peru to help and I ended up on the street.This people don´t ant help. they just want your money. I have the same impression of the organization, who give a s... after I wrote what happened to me here in Cusco.
This was the worst time of my life and i was also kind of in a dangerous situation.

I also ant to mention that the Home Coordinator expect from the Volunteer to book overpriced travels and tours with them. I didn´t book any tours with the home coordinator in this 6 days, because I compared the priced here and know it was a rip off.
I am sorry for my writing, but i am writing this from a computer in my Hostal.

There were two reasons why I wanted to volunteer abroad: 1. Gain valuable clinical experience 2. Practice my spanish. Both of these were fulfilled to an amazing extent. My clinical site was San Juan De Dios with the Physical Therapy department. The staff was welcoming and willing to teach me. Working with disabled children was an unbelievably rewarding experience. Practicing spanish was easy and Peru, specifically Cusco, is a wonderful place. The host family, like everyone else here, were wonderful. There wasn't a day where I felt like this wasn't home.

Volunteering in Cusco has been an awesome experience! I've been able to meet most of the host families and they are all great! My host mom, Maria, is amazing and cooks great food for all of us, and keeps a very neat apartment flat.
Volunteering in the clinics here has been awesome, and getting to know the local nurses, doctors, and med school students has allowed me to learn a lot from all of them, as well as have a really fun time while doing it.
The locals are great, and it's easy to make local friends if you put in the effort. There are free salsa lessons every night from 9 to 11 in the city center, making it really fun in the night as well.
I highly recommend this program, city and it's people to anyone who wants to have a great time!

I am volunteering with this programm for 8 weeks. I work in several clinics and earn a lot of experience. Altough Peru itsself is very unorganised, the programm tries to give you an organised feeling and they come up to all your wishes. I am happy to be part of this programm and to be able to make a change in the Peruvian helpcentres.

I highly recommend using this company to volunteer abroad. Their staff are really respectful and comprehensive. Since the first e-mail that I sent, until a year after of my experience, they seemed to care about me and were always there to help me.
All the family members of the house that I stayed where really nice; food, internet and comfort would always be available and I had no issues with them since day 1. Maria, my "Peruvian mom" was like a real mom to the whole house, she would have dinner with us and we all got sad when we had to leave her. She was really careful with our stuff and would always be there to help us with questions or necessities.
The coordinators in the city would always be present as well, making possible to even create a friendship with them.
Our orphanage just like any other, really needed assistance and our presence there was essential for the kids. They would become happier once we were there.
RCDP will definitely have me again to volunteer in another country.

Volunteered at an orphanage for teen moms and their children. Really felt like we were needed and appreciated as volunteers, and we're making a difference for the moms.

RCDP provided excellent support throughout, including when I was ill and admitted to hospital.

The price was very reasonable and the majority went to the orphanage.

I worked at an orphanage for teen moms and had the most amazing time. I plan on going back this year! The support from the company was exceptional. They provided transportation to and from the airport. Answered any questions I had, walked me through everything step by step as this was my first trip. I highly recommend them and can't wait to go back!

I did a lot of research to decide which program to volunteer abroad with, and IFRE seemed like an organized program with opportunities in many different locations and with many different forms of volunteering. I chose to volunteer in a hospital in Cusco, Peru, and it was the most wonderful experience. All of the staff made me feel very welcome and did a great job of facilitating my stay and helping me plan excursions. They always made themselves available to me and took great care to make me feel safe and comfortable. I was placed in a home-stay with a wonderful family, who I am still in contact with. IFRE really made the effort to make my experience everything I had hoped.