Description

We cannot pretend to remedy serious social and economic conditions, but volunteers in Santa Elena have plenty of opportunities to make a difference to young people who would otherwise lack educational and creative opportunities. Community projects are typically under-resourced and under-staffed, so volunteers and resources are always welcome. In addition to established community activities and programs, motivated volunteers who bring ideas for projects have the chance to set up their own volunteer opportunities in Santa Elena with the financial and organizational support of Peace Villages Foundation.

The foundations established relationships and contacts with various schools and social organizations in the town and the help of the Volunteer Coordinator enable volunteers to create their own exciting work placements. Whether your skills lie in music, sports, drama, art or handwork, PVF and Santa Elena can offer you a unique chance to implement your own ideas, while giving you valuable experience and realizing personal ambitions and goals. The towns Casa de la Cultura (Cultural Center) and Fundacion del Nino (Childrens Foundation) are some of the organizations which are open to the input of volunteers, from English teaching, theater and music projects, to computer and ceramics classes.

In the past, volunteers have formed teams working on community projects such as the maintenance and painting of playgrounds and community centers, the organization of litter collections and environmental education activities, the planning of cultural events and festivals in conjunctions with the town council. We also would like to set up a month-long summer camp for underprivileged and street children from around Venezuela on the Foundation grounds and are looking for a committed volunteer to organize and implement this exciting idea.

There are no limits to the work a motivated and enthusiastic volunteer can set up in Santa Elena, but achieving a successful independent project does require a longer stay than participation in PVFs already established volunteer programs.

Highlights

Activities can Include:
* Help teaching simple wood work to young people at our Community & Therapy Center or by passing on vocational carpentry & building skills.
* Assist teaching at the local music school or arts, craft and ceramics at the cultural center and our Community & Therapy Center.
* Assist with supervising recreational, developmental and therapeutic activities for special need kids who visit our Community & Therapy Center.
* Help organize special events.
* Bring joy and warmth to hospitalized children by participating in visits to the pediatric ward for recreational activities like story telling, theater and play sessions.
* Make and decorate wooden didactic toys and materials for our play-therapy program for underprivileged children and special need kids.
* Play and take care of underprivileged children, bringing joy and love to local day care centers.
* Help restore and maintain childrens playgrounds and school facilities and furniture. Assist with painting and restoring work, help with landscaping, redecorating and maintenance.

Local Highlights
The town of Santa Elena de Uairen is the headquarters of the Peace Villages Foundation in Venezuela and the heart of La Gran Sabana National Park. The town has about 15.000 inhabitants and is at an altitude of 900m - 1000m (3000f - 3250f) with a nearly perfect climate (16°C / 45°F - 28°C / 79°F all year round).
The town was founded in 1922 as a Capuchin mission, and grew in the 1930s with the establishment of gold and diamond mines in the region. Santa Elena is surrounded by breathtaking scenery, and a wealth of nature. The region is one of the oldest geological sites on the planet where prehistoric flat topped mountains are like ecological islands with endemic species such as carnivorous plants and lots of other natural treasures. You will find good shopping opportunities, restaurants, internet cafes, postal and telephone services, clubs, pool halls and nightlife opportunities, as well as a wide variety of tourist travel destinations. Santa Elena is also a good place to arrange adventure tours into La Gran Sabana and Mount Roraima in particular.
The area known as La Gran Sabana, "the Great Savannah" is located in the south-eastern corner of Venezuela, at the border with Brazil and Guyana. It is a high plateau, a land of wide open spaces (75,000 square kilometers), tropical forest, spectacular tepuys (flat-topped mountains), rivers and gorgeous waterfalls. It is also home to the Pemón aboriginals. It is unknown when La Gran Sabana was first occupied, but there are artifacts that demonstrate that indigenous peoples were occupying the Orinoco Delta at least 2 to 3 thousand years ago. At the time of the arrival of the first Europeans. La Gran Sabana was inhabited primarily by Pemon aboriginals. The Guayana shield, located in La Gran Sabana, is the earth's oldest surface. It is estimated to be 2 billion years old, and was formed when South America and Africa were still part of the super continent Gondwana. Besides flat plains, La Gran Sabana also features tropical regions, jungle and cloud forests, rich in palm trees, fern trees, orchids, bromelias and also animals including tapirs, jaguars, pumas, deer, anteaters, snakes, are all native to the different ecosystems of La Gran Sabana.

Treks & Tours
While Peace Villages is a volunteer based NGO, we recognize the importance of seeing other parts of La Gran Sabana and having a well rounded experience while you are here. Some trips can be done on weekends, otherwise we will help you to schedule tours so that you can see everything you want to in Venezuela, while still achieving your volunteer commitments with us. It is always best to plan to be here for a longer period of time so you can fit in a tour and still feel satisfied with the impact of your volunteer work.
Peace Villages Foundation is not a tour operator but a volunteer charity! The Adventure Tours are organized and offered by local tour operators. If interested, we will help you to make contact with companies which use ecological criteria for enjoyable nature-based Adventure Tours throughout the beautiful and diverse Gran Sabana region, here in south-eastern Venezuela. Peace Villages also assists volunteers to self-organize their trip.

A cheaper method than booking organized tours is to organize a trip yourself. When volunteers are interested in this option, we can assist them to make the necessary arrangements. Volunteers then share the direct costs of a guide, porter, food and transport, instead of buying a complete package. Costs depend on the number of group participants to share with. Hiring indigenous guides, drivers, boat operators, and hosts directly benefits local economies and, at the same time, adds an intimate and connected feeling to your adventure. Indigenous guides will enrich your Gran Sabana adventure tour experience with their knowledge, their kindness and their dedication and enthusiasm for these places.

Qualifications

* No previous experience or special skills are required, but participants need to be enthusiastic, willing to learn, ready for a challenge and have a desire to work with children. Friendliness, care, commitment and patience are among important qualities.
* Take delight in the children's progress through interaction and play, as well as the charming nature of the bonds formed between children and volunteers. Some knowledge of Spanish language would be advantageous.
* A typical volunteer with this program comes without a lot of previous experience but has a number of ideas and enthusiasm, takes initiative and dedicates a lot of caring and passion to the position. However, Volunteers with experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

Availability
Ongoing throughout the whole year. Mobile School and educational/recreational activities run by our Foundation are ongoing throughout the whole year. Public school related activities are not taking place during holidays

Volunteering with Peace Villages
Volunteering is a great way to experience another culture, make new friends and learn new skills. The beauty in volunteering lies in the fact that you are not simply passing through as a tourist. You are interacting with the community, building relationships and making a positive impact. It is an experience that may well change your life! Volunteers are the driving force of Peace Villages' work, both through their volunteering and through their financial contributions.
We have various programs currently underway and run by volunteers, as well as the long term expectation of opening a large multi-faceted Therapy Center. Volunteers, through their donations and through volunteer work done on the Foundations grounds are helping us to create this center. We encourage volunteers to form schedules which work for them, and to work in any combination of programs. Volunteers decide how many hours they want to work.

We recommend a minimum of 4 hours daily for 4 days a week. You may work as many days/hours you wish. We emphasize that we focus on excellence and not on quantity! All travel costs to Santa Elena, Venezuela must be covered by the volunteer. Budget at least 35 Euro for in-country travel (including meals along the way) on top of whatever your plane ticket costs (likely at least 330 Euro depending on where you're coming from).

Type of Programs

• Community Service / Volunteerism
• Cultural Exploration
• High School Study Abroad
• Language Immersion
• Student Tours

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

There are three accommodation options and prices depend on length of stay starting at USD495 per month

Cost Includes:

• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Language instruction
• Registration fees
• Written materials abroad

Program Fees Include:

Costs depend on length of stay. There are three accommodation options which include:
* Volunteer placement in the program/s of your choice
* Accommodation, meals and laundry depending on the accommodation option of your choice
* Placement introduction and hand-outs, supervision, regular briefings
* Regular supervised Spanish language conversational opportunities
* Certificate and/or written reference upon successful completion of volunteer placement
* Free participation with weekend excursions and opportunities for cultural exchange whenever scheduled and organized by Peace Villages volunteers
* Full support and 7 days, 24 hour back-up from our local staff
* Peace Villages T-shirt
* Santa Elena bus terminal pick-up.
* Our staff will welcome you to the Peace Villages home-base upon arrival to Santa Elena and ensure that all of your needs are met - from a safe and comfortable place to stay, to unparalleled access to perspectives and insight about the local culture

Most volunteers will spend less than Euro ¬ 60 a month on other personal expenses while here, but this depends on how you like to live. For more detailed information please check our website

Credit Available

yes

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

A typical volunteer with this programs comes without a lot of previous experience but has a number of ideas and enthusiasm, takes initiative and dedicates a lot of caring and passion to the position. He/she is willing to learn and ready for a challenge. Friendliness, care, commitment and patience are among important qualities. We welcome individual volunteers, families and groups regardless of age, experience or background. You don't have to speak fluent Spanish as we provide full support and 24 hour back-up from our local staff. Volunteers are the driving force of Peace Villages' work, both through their volunteering and through their financial contributions. Volunteering with us is a great opportunity to work side by side with locals, learn new skills, study Spanish, and immerse oneself in the Latin and indigenous culture. The beauty in volunteering lies in the fact that you are not simply passing through as a tourist. You are interacting with the community, building relationships and making a positive impact. It is an experience that may well change your life!

Age Range

12 to 80

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Home-stays
• Independent living
• Apartment/Flat
• Guest House

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 2 - 4

Application Process Involves

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Resume

Typically The Application Process Time is

1 days

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network
• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Job and Internship Network

Fundacion Aldeas de Paz - Peace Villages Foundation's Mission Statement

We support disadvantaged and at risk children and young people of Venezuelan, Brazilian and Guyanan origin. We promote sustainable development, social justice and the "Culture of Peace" through enriching cross-cultural exchange and voluntary community service. We provide additional and alternative opportunities in educational, recreational and environmental fields and assist our beneficiaries to develop their potential and improve their own lives.

Year Founded

2000