Our program offers you the possibility to
contribute to our Andean society and experience
the diversity of our culture, working and learning
in our beautiful city Cusco and at the same time
improving your local language skills: Spanish.
Corazón de los Apus is a non-profit organization that works with families living in extreme poverty in Cusco, Peru. We believe that in order to change the mentality of any group of people, you have to start at the base – with the children. Thefore, we mainly work with the children and try to give them a better future. The goal is to bring awareness to the children, that they can break through social boundaries and live a better life. Most importantly, we hope to help them gain personal values like love and respect for themselves and others, to be able to lead happy and healthy lives with more opportunities for a brighter future. This includes our focus on the importance of school, knowledge and education.by providing education, food, and a safe and loving environment for personal growth annd fun.
How do we do that? Four times a week we open the doors for our to..
- ... help with the homework from school
- ... teach English
- ... practice soft skills (e.g. conflict management, creativity, equal rights)
- ... give love
- ... have fun
The task of the volunteers is usually to prepare and conduct the lessons. But we are flexible and always open for adjustments. Volunteers are always welcome to contribute their ideas for lessons or activities. The tasks can also be flexible adjusted, depending on their skills and preferences. We love to design the program together and try to make volunteering as enjoyable as possible.
The main project is located in San Jeronimo, a suburb of Cusco. It is a 15-minute bus ride from the flat to the project. It is a safe place and all the people who live near the project are friendly and helpful.
There is always one of the local project managers there to work with the volunteers. We normally all travel to and from the project together. This means that the volunteers always have a contact person on site.
The most important is that the volunteers are motivated to help disadvantaged people and enjoy working with children. Volunteers should have a lot of energy to be able to deal with the energetic children. But a lot of patience is also required.
For all their hard work, the children are rewarded with lots of love and happy faces.
The project leaders are always approachable and very open to suggestions for adapting the daily routine. The top priority is that the children and volunteers feel comfortable and happy.
Important Information:
- You will receive all our support and/or guidance throughout your stay. In case you get sick
or have any type of emergency, we are at your disposal for all the necessary help.
- We also have an all-inclusive package from: accommodation, Spanish classes, tours, cultural
activities... that if you wish we can send you without any obligation. We offer it because of
the experience that many volunteers had, who recommended us and preferred to have
everything already organized so as not to have worries or stress, so they will have a more
pleasant and comfortable stay. However, it is not a requirement, so if you do not wish to,
you can only take the accommodation service in our departments.
- Pick up from the Airport / Land Terminal (It is included in the price): Of course we will be
happy to pick you up at the airport or bus terminal upon arrival to take you to your
accommodation.
Cultural Activities “Discovering Cusco”
They are a courtesy from our Association to make your stay in Cusco more enjoyable,
discovering new places, flavors, smells, enjoying nature, among more. 1 or 2 activities will be
carried out per week in a cyclical manner, among these activities we have:
- Cooking classes – our moms will teach and everyone will participate. According to the dish
to be prepared, we will all set a quota for the ingredients.
- Latin dance classes (salsa & bachata) – they are very fun and free, but if you like it a lot and
want to learn you can take private or group classes, which have a price depending on the
number of classes.
- Visit to typical food restaurants – we will taste delicious dishes and each person pays for
their plate of food.
- Visit to typical medicinal baths – they are approximately 3 hours outside the city, for which
transportation is rented and we all pay the total, generally per month we make this trip taking
a group of children.
- Visits to museums (chocolate, coca, Inka...) – museums have an entrance fee and others
are included in the tourist ticket, if you wish you can participate in the chocolate museum,
which has a price.
- Andean music concerts – part of our culture is music, we will enjoy good Andean, mystical
music, also appreciating typical instruments of the area, sometimes admission is paid and
sometimes not.
- Types and Importance of plants/herbs and medicinal infusions – we will show some typical
plants, their importance and their benefit to our health, there is no price here.
- Adventure and sports, we organize nature walks, bicycle outings, ATVs, among other
activities...
It is important to know that some of our activities are free while others have a price, for
example, when we go to eat typical food, each person will pay for their plate, as well as these
activities are optional and not mandatory
5
