Orphanages You will help orphans with their homework, workshop assignments, playtime activities, etc. You may work with other volunteers and/or teachers, and assistants. Most orphanages receive either boys or girls, although a few receive both girls and boys. All of the children, whose ages range from 5 to 16 years, need your care, attention and companionship. Day Care Centers You will be working at a day care center that provides housing, care, and food for working single mothers and their children. The children – from infants to 5-year-olds – need attention and quality day care while their mothers are working. Handicap Clinic This clinic offers free treatment to mentally and physically disabled children. The clinic currently houses 50 to 60 children and employs five teachers, five nurses, and three physical therapists. You will be assigned various tasks depending on your skills and interests. All volunteers will help in the clinic feeding, bathing and playing with the children. Volunteers may also work as teaching assistants in the school. Street Kids You will be working with a group of abandoned street children. These children have been separated from their families and live in a police-run home for street children. As a volunteer, you will care for the kids, providing organized activities. These children love company and enjoy having volunteers visit with them.

Airport Pickup and Orientation:
When you arrive in Cusco, you will be greeted at the airport by a volunteer coordinator. You will be taken to your accommodations in Cusco and go on a brief tour of the facilities and resources available to you. The official orientation typically begins the day following your arrival.

Transportation:
Volunteer Adventures will arrange transportation for the following:

Airport pick-up and drop-off All transfers required by the program All local transportation at program locations

Accommodations:
Basic and Standard: You will stay at the project’s volunteer lodge in Cusco. Volunteers sleep two to each bedroom and share bathrooms. This lodge provides three meals per day as well as room cleaning. Volunteers will have hot water, although there may be times when hot water is turned off entirely for three to four hours.

Complete: Those who choose the Complete package will stay with a host family. Volunteers will have their own rooms and will usually share a bathroom with family members. Families will provide three meals per day. All of our host families are carefully screened and must meet Volunteer Adventures' requirements before being accepted as a host family.

Language Classes:
Volunteers enrolled in the Standard or Complete packages will be taking Spanish classes at our partner language school in Cusco. For more efficient placement upon your arrival, we ask that you take our Online Spanish Placement Test to determine your language proficiency. If this is not possible, we will test you upon arrival at the school. You will be placed according to your language level in a group of 12 or fewer students, learning conversational Spanish for two hours a day. If you enroll in the Complete package, you will take an additional hour per day of private instruction.

In-Country Support:
Volunteer coordinators will provide support during your time in Peru. You can expect help from field guides and fellow volunteers. We also provide a 24-hour cell phone number for emergencies.

Additional Activities and Excursions:
Cusco is a major destination for adventure and cultural travel. If you have free time during or after your volunteer stay, you will have the opportunity to take part in excursions at your own cost. The following are some examples of activities you can enjoy:

Paragliding Archeological tour Whitewater rafting Bungee-jumping Machu Picchu (overnight) 3-day trekking adventure 3-day jungle tour