• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • e-Catalog
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Register Now
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Support
    • Donation Opportunities
      • Donate Now
      • Changemakers Club – Monthly
      • Gift Catalog
      • More Ways to Give
    • Foundation Opportunities
      • Funding Opportunities for Philanthropic Partners
  • Volunteer
      • Individuals
      • Families
    • Groups
      • Employer/Employee
      • University
      • High School
      • Faith Based
  • Countries
    • International Partnerships
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy (Sicily)
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs
      • Aguadilla – Puerto Rico
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Española – New Mexico
      • Rio Grande Valley – Texas
  • Projects
    • Community Work Projects
      • Delivering Essential Services
      • Teaching Conversational English
      • Supporting Community Development
      • Supplementing School-Based Curricula
      • View All Community Work Projects
  • Dates & Fees
    • Seasonal
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Monthly
      • January
      • February
      • March
      • April
      • May
      • June
      • July
      • August
      • September
      • October
      • November
      • December
      • All Service Program Dates
  • Impact
  • News
  • Request Information
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
Development Impact, Reaching Children's Potential Peru

First Service Program at a Shanty Town in Peru

The Dimensions of Poverty

And so we finally started our service program in Alto Progreso. Alto Progreso is a struggling community of about 350 families in Pamplona Alta, in the barren hillsides of Lima. Sherry was our first volunteer for the job. Upon arrival, we did not know how things would turn up, but we had much excitement and expectation. In the end, Sherry, the Alto Progreso community, and I were very happy and proud with what we had achieved in the first service program.

Before the arrival of Sherry in March, for more than a year most volunteers in the Peru service program had visited Alto Progreso for a day. This visit usually included an activity in the morning were we would teach children hand washing or basic nutrition. After that, volunteers would go on a walk around Alto Progreso with the community leaders were they would get to know them and hear their story.  But this was different. Now a volunteer would stay all day Monday through Friday.

FIRST SERVICE PROGRAM IN PAMPLONA

A lunch meal served at the soup kitchen in Alto Progreso, a shanty town in Peru where Global Volunteers serves at.

Weeks before the service program started, I had talked to the community leaders and they had requested help in the soup kitchen. The soup kitchen serves about 120 children and elderly, Monday through Friday, three meals a day, at a price per person of 1.5 PEN (fifty cents of a US dollar) a day. Only two people work in the soup kitchen, the cook and her helper. So it made sense for them to request our help there. However, we still did not know how the cooks would react to the presence of a volunteer in their kitchen or the kind of interaction that they would have.

Sherry was just the right person for the job. From the first day she showed everyone a big smile and disposition to help. At first Victoria, the cook, was skeptic of Sherry´s ability to peal a potato. But I convinced her that Sherry would do all she could to help. So Victoria gave her a chance, and Sherry proved herself. She was then trusted with more potatoes to peal. Onions followed, then beef, mangoes, and so on. At the end of the day Victoria had realized that Sherry was really willing and able to help.

FIRST SERVICE PROGRAM IN PAMPLONA

Volunteer Sherry smiling while chopping potatoes at the soup kitchen.

The following days were even better. Victoria would start giving Sherry more and more tasks, to the point that when Sherry was about to finish with something, Victoria had already some other task for Sherry. Sherry noticed that the knifes they were using were not very helpful, and Victoria shared with us that for weeks they had not had the most important element in Peruvian meals: rice.  So Global Volunteers donated sets of knifes and 70 pounds of rice.

As the days went by, Victoria and Sherry got to know each other and became friends even though they did not speak the same language. By the end of the service program Victoria said she had gotten used to Sherry´s help and asked her to come back. We hope Sherry comes back. But even if she does not, we hope that other volunteers would fill in for Sherry. Victoria and all the children and elderly who are fed at the Alto Progreso soup kitchen need that help and would surely be thankful for it.

FIRST SERVICE PROGRAM IN PAMPLONA

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Pocket
March 27, 2015/by Global Volunteers
Tags: Health and nutrition, Volunteer impact
https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/A-shanty-town-in-Peru-were-Global-Volunteers-helps-at.jpg 1125 1500 Global Volunteers https://globalvolunteers.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Global Volunteers2015-03-27 23:26:562021-11-25 22:44:29First Service Program at a Shanty Town in Peru
You might also like
Blackfeet reservation volunteers learn about plantsBlackfeet Reservation Volunteer Learns about Natural Remedies in Time for Healing
Mental Wellness Expert Joins Effort to Help Children Reach their Potential
Colorado Nurse Volunteers to Care for Children Around the World
Service-Learning for Pharmacy Students in Montana
teaching English to Vietnamese studentsTeaching English to Vietnamese Students is an Act of Love for Vietnam Vet
HandwashingTeaching Hand Washing in Ecuador
Meaningful Work on the Reservation
Memories of Ecuador Live Bright Within Us
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Partner Communities

  • China (62)
  • Cook Islands (44)
  • Cuba (114)
  • Ecuador (89)
  • Greece (70)
  • Italy (53)
  • Montana (49)
  • Nepal (20)
  • New Mexico (2)
  • Peru (111)
  • Poland (97)
  • Portugal (44)
  • Puerto Rico (3)
  • South Dakota (8)
  • St Lucia (56)
  • Tanzania (230)
  • Texas (6)
  • Vietnam (33)

Categories

  • Classroom Assistance (8)
  • Conversational English (95)
  • Cultures and Traditions (136)
  • Development Impact (123)
  • Family Volunteering (61)
  • Free Time Options (79)
  • Group Volunteering (19)
  • News and Updates (150)
  • Partners' Stories (16)
  • Projects for Professionals (23)
  • Reaching Children's Potential (240)
  • Ripple Effect (6)
  • Service-Learning (50)
  • Staff Worldwide (26)
  • Volunteer Voices (685)
  • Why I Give (18)

Tags

American Indian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people development impact Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee gender equality Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects retiree volunteers Spring break student volunteer summer volunteer program support children Support women teaching children teaching english team leader things to do peru top places to visit peru tourism cook islands tours peru travel peru volunteer benefits Volunteer impact volunteer time off work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering

Get Global Volunteers News Here!

Enter your email address to receive fresh new posts in your inbox.

  • About Us
  • Boards of Directors and Advisors
  • US and International Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Our Vision
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Impact and Outcomes of Service
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Covid-19 Policy
  • News/Media
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
  • Employment
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org
Federal EIN: 36-3352680

JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST!

Subscribe to receive updates, new blog posts, and inspiring stories from our work around the world.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Our tax ID is 36-3352680. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent provided by the law.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
Ron’s Guide to the Social Customs and Attitudes in the Cook IslandsWhat a Feast of Chinese Cultural Activities!
Scroll to top