There are many natural and cultural attractions that inspire travelers to explore South America – especially in Ecuador and Peru (the Galápagos Islands and Machu Picchu to mention a couple). However, to know a place and culture is to know her people. When you volunteer in South America, you obtain a unique perspective through the lives of the local people. Learn about the vibrant cultures, strong family traditions, and proud national identities in South America by volunteering.
We could say a lot about our international volunteer programs, but it’s better if you hear about them from volunteers themselves. In the words of alumni volunteer, these are the best volunteer programs in South America:
Childcare Programs in Peru and Ecuador
Serve at Sagrada Familia, a children’s home in Peru that hosts 300 at risk children and offers meals and education to 1,300 children. Or, volunteer and support two early childhood development centers for children and families living on the outskirts of Quito, Ecuador.
Sagrada Familia, Ventanilla (Lima), Peru
Thoughts from Peru Global Volunteer Mike Stearney:
As I near the end of this one week experience at La Sagrada Familia, I am already thinking ahead about how I will answer the inevitable questions when I return– Friends and family will ask: “So how was your trip?” How can I answer that? How can I explain to someone who wasn’t here the experience of being warmly greeted and hugged everywhere I went by young people who didn’t even know me? How can I describe the beauty and joy in the dark laughing eyes of the children at the daycare center? What words could I ever use to share the experience of dining in the commissary– the long tables and narrow benches, the simple meals prepared on wood fired stoves in pots the size of small bathtubs, served to more than 1000 students each day from a kitchen staff that has no certainty about where the food for tomorrow’s meal will come from? How do I tell them about this oasis in a desert, this place of such fullness and vibrancy and love that is surrounded on all sides by such abject poverty? How would I ever explain how this dusty plot of land that was so worthless that no one even bothered to protest when it was first settled has now become a place of hope and promise for so many young people? I want to describe this community in a way that does it justice, that respects its resiliency, that honors its people and its history, that expresses the struggles it has overcome and the struggles it continues to face. I guess there are no simple answers to the question “How was your trip?” and I suspect that most who ask it will not have the time or patience for the details and nuance that an honest answer would require. So perhaps I will just keep this part of my Peru trip to myself, in a special place in my heart and memory, to be shared only with those, like my team, who had the opportunity to experience it. Tomorrow, I will go to La Sagrada Familia one last time. I will stand again in the current of that river of children that flows through there, and try to remember all the sights and sounds and smells of the place—the color, and the movement, the energy and the love. And I will be forever grateful for this time spent in the warm embrace of this generous community. I guess you had to be there…
(Learn more about volunteering in Peru.)
Support Disadvantaged Children in Quito, Ecuador
Reflections from Ecuador Global Volunteer Sarah: Serving in Ecuador was an experience unlike anything I have witnessed in my life. Although I didn’t speak the same language as the tías who care for the children, they always made every effort to make me feel important and include me in their classrooms. I’ve learned that facial expressions and hand gestures can communicate more effectively than words sometimes. I’ve learned that you don’t have to have the newest crayons or the shiniest walls or the best books to make a child feel loved and help them to begin their learning. None of the kids that I worked with come from luxurious homes, but they lack nothing in spunk, personality, and love.
The daycare center where I served will always hold a place in my heart; one much bigger than I could have ever dreamed. I’m so thankful for the opportunities that I have had, the friendships that I have made, and the love I have received. God is so good to show me a life so beautifully and wonderfully different than the one that I have always known.
(Learn more about volunteering in Ecuador.)
Teaching Programs in Peru
Help university students in Lima, Peru anchor their independence through conversational English practice and lesson reviews.
La Molina Language Center – Conversational English Classes for University Students
Journal entry by Peru Global Volunteer Deb: Today was our final day at La Molina. We could not have foreseen that we would be the active learners in this ongoing exchange of respect, culture, camaraderie, and knowledge. Every day new lessons were learned – about ourselves and each other, lessons about risk-taking and vulnerability, motivation and ambition, friendship and trust, focus and determination.
If English is the language of opportunity, it has been our rare privilege to play a small supportive role in our students’ quest for graduate studies, professional employment, and success. We have been inspired by the motivation of our students; our hearts have been warmed by the graciousness of the students, staff, and faculty of La Molina.
Our departure was as warm as our reception, marked by hugs and tears. Students honored us with gifts and promises to continue our friendships via email. The director of the Language Center and his staff presented us with certificates and tokens of appreciation, and invitations to return. We left a piece of our hearts at La Molina today.
(Learn more about volunteering in Peru.)
Construction Programs in Peru and Ecuador
Do you like to work with your hands? Help improve Sagrada Familia facilities by painting, repairing, or constructing classrooms, bathrooms, dormitories, etc. Or, assist with upgrading classrooms and outdoor play areas, building playgrounds, and painting and cleaning projects at daycare facilities in Quito, Ecuador.
Sagrada Familia – Labor Projects
Reflections from Peru Global Volunteer Jeremy Harper:
The marketplace is located a couple blocks down the hill from Sagrata Familia – a crayon box of Seussian-shaped fruits and vegetables. Chicken hang from racks, some even splayed open like an anatomy lesson. The Global Volunteers Peru Crew wanders through the serpentine market with wonder-eyes. Daniel convinces Josh to try a passion fruit, and he cracks it open like a caveman breaking the skull of an enemy. The rest lay into it.
That’s how the day began, with the five of us sampling and buying fruit hauled in recently from the Peruvian jungle. Soon, we trek back through the gate of facility, and “The Brickers” somehow conscript Diego (our translator) onto the construction squad. Poor Diego! Kurt aligns the guideline as Jeremy, Diego and Josh busily mix the mortar. So begins the endless dance of mixing mortar, setting bricks, and filling gaps. Mixing. Setting. Filling. Forever.
Meanwhile, in a neighboring universe, Jack’s basketball squad is decimated to its last member – himself. He spends a portion of the morning assisting English class. During free time, his scholarly efforts are rewarded with an errant volleyball that caroms squarely off his snozz. Seeking safer confines, he takes his bloody nose to the construction site, where all his athletic skills are put to good use mixing cement. Jack belongs to the Brickers now.
After lunch, what should have been a routine trip to class became a carnival with us well-meaning Americans delivering their message of love through interpretive dance and merrymaking. Are the children amused? It’s not clear. Though it is clear that Kurt is in his element – his Spanish skills challenged as he plays interpreter between the newbie Americans and the onslaught of curious children. Kurt is more than up for this challenge, and it is entertaining enough for the rest of us just watching him rise to it.
(Learn more about volunteering in Peru.)
Labor Projects at Daycare Centers in Quito
Testimonial from Ecuador Global Volunteer Micah Augusma, who helped reupholster high chairs: This service trip has taught me more than I imagined it would – it was a life-changing volunteer experience. I learned how to renovate high chairs for toddlers… l learned that one of the main purposes of human life is to serve those who are different than yourself. Therefore, I am forever grateful for the experience, the team, and most importantly the children for such an incredible and enlightening experience.
(Learn more about volunteering in Ecuador.)
Request Info: Best Volunteer Programs in South America
Volunteer programs in Peru and Ecuador start year-round. Request a free e-catalog using the form below for more information about these volunteer opportunities as well as our other worldwide service programs. (The tax-deductible volunteer program fees for both Peru and Ecuador start at $2,595. Discounts are available for students, family and multi-person groups, and returning volunteers.)
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