This is the third article in a four-part series on the fishing-and-surfing village of Huanchaco, Peru: Volunteer Opportunities. Be sure to join us next week to find out what to do if you fall in love and decide to rent an apartment in this town where five blocks from the ocean is considered by locals as too long of a walk.

Did you miss the introduction to Huanchaco (part 1), or surfing in Huanchaco (part 2)?

Why volunteer in Huanchaco?

Huanchaco’s proximity to Peru’s third largest city, Trujillo, makes it a good base if you’re looking to spend a few months (or even just a few weeks) making a difference in someone’s life. Trujillo has seen its population grow rapidly in the last few decades as impoverished rural farmers moved there looking for work, and the pueblos jovenes (young towns) that they built on the city’s edge often still lack basic infrastructure.

Enter Trujillo’s many NGOs, and the volunteers that keep them running. In this article, I’ve only included NGOs that we’ve had personal contact with, or which have been referred to us. If I’ve missed anything, give us a shout in the comments.

Fairmail

Free to volunteer. Fairmail is based out of Holland, and also has a branch in India. The goal of the program is to provide impoverished kids a focused activity, as well as a reasonably good income from the postcards they sell. Volunteers teach photography to a group of about 10 kids from ages 13-17, taking them on local field trips, teaching theory, and helping to choose the photos that will go on the postcards. The program is honestly and efficiently run by Renato Nuñez and Cynthia Vega (Cynthia is an ex-Fairmail student herself).

For some of the kids it’s a step towards a career in photography or design, for others it’s a way to pay for school and clothing and help support their families. For each postcard sold, 50% of the profits go into a fund for the student, which pays for anything from laptops to electricity and roofs for their homes.

You need to speak Spanish in order to interact with the kids. Long-term commitments are preferred.

More information: Website (You can order cards from the site if you can’t make it to Trujillo to volunteer) and Volunteer page

Mundo del Niños

Free to volunteer. Mundo del Niños is both a program for street kids and a home for boys whose families can’t support them. While living in the home, the boys get to see their families regularly, and are fed, clothed, and sent to school. From the website: “The boys placed in the home aren’t orphans, but almost all come from broken families living in the most absolute poverty.”

Ask for email addresses of former volunteers before you commit. It can be extremely hard to get the real characteristic of an organization through email communication. If you’re looking to volunteer for resume experience, be wary if an organization promises to provide you with a position that’s just too perfect a fit (especially if you’re paying them a fee). That said, keep in mind that this is Peru, and expect a fair amount of communicational chaos. Many volunteer opportunities in Huanchaco can best be described as “do-it-yourself:” be prepared to be your own boss most of the time.

The boys participate in the program’s candle-making workshop, and sell the candles in the nearby artisan markets. A few of the boys are also Fairmail students.

You need to speak Spanish to volunteer with them, and they have a minimum requirement of one month. Volunteers help with tasks around the home, supervise on outings with the boys, and also help the organization with their work with street children. They have two locations, in Huanchaco and Trujillo.

More information: Website.

Espaanglisch Language School

One-time administrative fee of $30 US. Espaanglisch provides English language classes to the childeren of El Porvenir, an impoverished neighborhood north of Trujillo, providing quality education to those who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford it. The idea behind the program is that English proficiency is a gateway out of poverty for many, who can find better jobs in tourism and other industries.

It’s helpful to speak some Spanish in order to volunteer, and they have a minimum requirement of one calendar month.

More information: Website

Supporting Kids In Peru (SKIP)

SKIP charges a contribution fee, which includes accommodation. SKIP works with kids in Trujillo’s El Porvenir neighborhood to make sure they have access to good education, and offers holistic support to families in order to help them improve their current situation through education of their children and to achieve social and economic stability.

They have various positions available working with kids as English teachers, nursery program instructors, or specialist instructors in their workshops, as well as a need for longer-term volunteers in administrative positions. Spanish is helpful for many of the volunteer positions, and a minimum of one month is required.

More information: Website, Volunteer Page, and Child Sponsorship.

Otra Cosa

Otra Cosa charges a contribution fee, and can help you find accommodation. Unlike other programs listed here, Otra Cosa is a volunteer agency that helps volunteers find placement in various projects. Because it is a placement agency, results can be a mixed bag, but they’re a good way to find smaller programs that don’t have the resources to get high up in the Google hits.

That said, they’re based locally and do have a good relationship with the programs they place people in.

Note: There is a delicious vegetarian restaurant of the same name on the north end of the malecón. They have fantastic coffee and falafal, and the owner, Barry, is a great resource. The restaurant and the placement agency were once affiliated, but no longer.

More information: Website

Thinking of volunteering elsewhere in South America? Here are a few websites to get you started:

Volunteer South America.net: free and low cost volunteer opportunities.
Heddwen’s Blog: more information about volunteer organizations in Trujillo.
Volunteer South America.com: a well-organized list of programs with small local organizations.
La Vida Idealist: a blog for and by volunteers in South America.

Related Posts

1. This is Huanchaco, Part 1 | by Jessie Kwak
2. This is Huanchaco, Part 2: Surfing | by Jessie Kwak
3. This is Huanchaco, Part 4: Housing | by Jessie Kwak
4. Nuts and Bolts: Trujillo and Huanchaco | by Robert Kittilson
5. Fairmail and Kids and photos. | by Robert Kittilson

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