Social Work & Services Volunteer

Cusco, Peru

Spending the summer in Peru was literally a dream come true. The people, the language, and the natural wonders make Peru an incredibly diverse country. After spending one month studying Spanish at the Amauta Spanish School in Cusco while living with a host family, I felt prepared to move into the student residence and begin my volunteer work at the Hogares Libertad Orphanage in the San Sebastian area of the city. The orphanage provides food, shelter, and guidance for abandoned children of all ages.

A twenty minute taxi ride - or forty minute bus ride - away from the Plaza de Armas (the touristic center of Cusco), the orphanage is located in a quiet neighborhood, the streets filled with children and stray dogs. From the first time a volunteer enters the locked gate, which is always to remain locked as some of the children have family members who are court ordered to have no contact, he or she is surrounded by 3 to 5 year olds who want to be carried and by 6 to 16 year olds who want to know everything about the country you came from. 

As a volunteer with social work experience, the Pastor (who had created the orphanage seven years prior) asked me to help provide some order for the otherwise chaotic volunteer system. Along with the 4 other volunteers from various agencies, I developed volunteer guidelines to post on the office wall, created a daily schedule for the children and volunteers, and painted the run down walls of the buildings. Each of the volunteers expressed that they had literally been lost for the past week, as there had been no English speaking staff present and no known routine. Once we banded together and created a plan, we all enjoyed ourselves immensely…

As volunteers, we played with the children, helped them with homework and chores, organized activities and fieldtrips, and helped update the organization’s website and newsletters. If you plan on volunteering in Peru, I recommend that you set short-term goals for your time that match the goals of the organization and aggressively put these goals into action. Both at the orphanage and while talking with volunteers from other sites in Cusco, the unsatisfied volunteers were those who were taking a back seat and waiting for someone to tell them what to do. All of the volunteers who were willing to take action while respecting the rules of their placements fell in love with the children, the workers, and the country in general.

At Hogares Libertad the goal is to provide a safe, therapeutic environment for children who have been unable to thrive at home or in other out of home placements. The majority of the staff is Peruvian citizens who are currently in rehabilitation programs for alcohol or substance abuse; a concept that would be foreign to those of us in the United States. During my time as a volunteer, I came to know these staff members as dedicated, loving caretakers of the children. This was just one of many examples of where I had to overlook any ‘Western Expectations’ and see the orphanage for what it was, a safer place for the children than where they had been before/

Once I overlooked the barbwire near the children’s living area, the park full of broken glass, and the open stairways where the children played, I realized that although I see these as unsafe, Peruvian children are simply taught at young ages to be aware and responsible near the ever present safety hazards. Figuring out how to blend the expectations and culture at the orphanage with my goals of teaching and providing affection led to my increased awareness of what it means to be a global citizen. To me, a global citizen is anyone who strives to experience new places, meet new people, and help others wherever they are.

On my last day at Hogares Libertad, we arranged and paid for a trip to a giant park with slides and rides for the children. Seeing the children play and have a day without responsibilities was worth my entire trip to Peru.