Peru's Challenge

Working with Peru's Challenge was the most incredible, rewarding, inspiring thing I've ever done. Heading up to Pumamarca each morning to work with the staff, students and other volunteers was an amazing experience. I loved getting to know the kids, working closely with the other volunteers, teaching, learning, working on the construction project and meeting a wide range of wonderful people. A HUGE thanks to Jane and Selvy. I commend them for their incredible work, committment, courage and selflessness. They really are amazing people and are making a huge difference to the lives of the students and their families at Pumamarca.

My amazing 3 weeks spent with Peru's Challenge changed me forever and is an experience that i think about all the time. 6.5 years later, my time in Peru with the children and communities is very dear and special to me. Peru, and Cusco in particular, will always hold a special place in my heart. Peru's Challenge is really an amazing opportunity with incredible founders, volunteers and amazing communities and children. The work Peru's Challenge does, really makes a difference to the lives of so many children and families. I highly recomend to everyone, young and old!

This is my fifth week volunteering with Peru´s Challenge. I had only planned to stay for one month, but am having such an amazing experience that I have decided to stay for two. I really enjoy the variety of activities that you get to do, from teaching Art and English, to painting classrooms, to doing house visits to families in the community, to helping with the bookwork for Talleres, the woman´s workshop. The program is very flexible, so whilst being able to work in many different areas, there´s also the opportunity to work on a project that you have a special interest or skill in. When we go to work in the communities we are always greeted by the people we pass in the street and welcomed with high-fives and hugs from the children at school. To me this shows how Peru´s Challenge has developed a really strong relationship with the people and that they are respected and valued in the community. The experience of being a volunteer with Peru´s Challenge has been more amazing than I ever expected and the beautiful faces of the children of Pumamarca and Quilla Huata will stay with me forever.

This trip was an eye opener, very informative and a great holiday. Pumamarca is such a special place, something I only realised when I got back home to my city apartment. You will never experience anything like this ever again. All the vols grew so close over the short 8 week period that we were together. I felt very safe the entire time I was there, even as an 18 year old female I could go out at night, go for runs on my own etc. I also really enjoyed the fact that there was a balance between leisure and working, all the vols had plenty of time off for travelling/sight seeing. It was such a priveledge to not only be a tourist but actually start to understand how people think and work in a different culture. It has been 6 months since I left Peru, I still think about it everyday, and I am 100% set on returning.

Without a doubt, my time volunteering with Peru's Challenge was the best time of my life. Not a day goes by without me thinking about the kids in Quilla Huata and Jane and Selvy and the work that they do in the rural communities in Cusco. I was there for five weeks and the time flew by. Before I knew it, my volunteer group and I built two mud brick walls, two classrooms and taught a bunch of classes. We were emotionally and physically challenged as we constantly battled with sickness and cultural barriers. But every moment was worth it. Hearing stories from some of the ladies in the village was heart breaking. They did not have much but they had a deep and abounding joy and the most generous hearts I have ever encountered. My time in Cusco has framed my life. I was challenged and stretched and I feel that I grew up a lot over there and came back different with a greater awareness of the world that I live in. Peru's Challenge is a quality and incredible NGO who are respected in the community. Their work is tangibly and sustainably changing the lives of the people in Cusco for the better. I long for the day that I return to Quilla Huata! Thank you Peru's Challenge for welcoming me in like family and giving me the best experience of my life. I miss every moment and will return one day.

I had heard alot about Peru´s Challenge before I got here and all were good things. When I first arrived I knew that I had come to the right place. I was impressed about how Peru´s Challenge has managed to improve so many families and the communities, and also all work behind by Jane, Selvy and all the previous and current volunteers. I also want to tell Jane and Selvy to never give up and keep this program going! Finally, Peru´s Challenge has opended my eyes and heart for the kids and families and I will keep contributing to this program as long as I possibly can. Thanks!

I volunteered with Peru's Challenge in July 2008 and I had the time of my life! The volunteer programme included teaching, building and gardening. And, when we were not working hard in the community we had Spanish lessons, we did lots of sight-seeing and we even managed a few cooking lessons! It was a wonderful way to experience a new culture whilst supporting a deserving community. Jane, Selvy and the Peru's Challenge team are doing a great job - truly inspirational, God bless them!

I absolutely loved my time spent with Peru's Challenge! I feel that the organization works hard to work along side the communities and really focus on what the community feels is a need for them. There is a strong sense of sustainability in the programming which makes you feel that all of your time, donations and efforts are going towards positive changes. As for the staff, the tours, the Spanish lessons and all of the extra perks, I couldn't have asked for more! The volunteer house had a great atmosphere and the staff became friends to me. I hope that my life leads me back to Peru's Challenge sooner than later :) Sincerely, Heather Harder

An amazing month that will change your life. The plight of the parents and kids will bring you to tears and the joy in their eyes will lift your spirits and fill your heart. The program was a great balance between, working within the program and some free time including trekking to Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley and Lake Titicaca. The people you meet are a special breed and will stay with you forever! Join the other volunteers at Peru's Challenge and make a difference in you life and most importantly, in someone else.

Our 4 weeks with Peru's Challenge was possibly one of the best experiences our family has shared together. My husband, myself and our 4 children enjoyed every moment with the children and families at Pumamarca, helping establish the school, improve their health, help out in the classroom, play sport and spend valuable time with them. What an amazing experience for our children to be able to help in this way. We also enjoyed our time with the other volunteers and the chance to travel in between. Thank you Jane & Selvy for such an unforgettable time with you in Cusco. The Nancarrow Family

Peru's Challenge does sterling work amongst the rural communities of Peru. They need all the help they can get to continue the fantastic work they're doing.

Thank You Perus Challenge for the wonderful opportunity to be part of this amazing work. Your work is inspirational and life changing. I experienced one of the most amazing times of my life. Being part of a team working with families teachers and children at Pumamarca was so good. It made me appreciate life so much more. The experience was challenging, confronting, rewarding, fulfilling, and priceless. We may wonder what we can do, but if we have a passion to make a difference for good, then we are already on our way to doing something good and helping others in a great way. I am planning a return trip in 2008 because there is so much that can be done that will make a huge difference.

I volunteered with Peru's Challenge in June and July 2007 and had a great experience. We spent our time at a rural school teaching Art, English and Physical Ed classes, doing construction projects, home visits, mother's workshop, and hygiene (hand and face washing) with the kids. The people who run the program are very friendly, welcoming, grateful and ready to put you to work right away! They're very open to new ideas, projects and suggestions - they really want to utilize whatever the volunteer has to offer. Your volunteer experience really depends on what you are willing to put into it - the more the better. The community Peru's Challenge worked with while I volunteered was very hard working and motivated - plus the kids at the school love having the volunteers around. Definitely reccomended!

Who would have thought that 12 weeks living, working and travelling in Peru could change our lives? We for one had no idea that our time volunteering with Peru's Challenge would have such a positive impact on us. The three months we spent living like a local in the volunteer house with strangers who became our friends, working with the wonderful Peru's Challenge staff and sharing our lives, experiences and skills with the people in the rural communities of Pumamarca and Quilla Huata totally opened our eyes and our hearts to what it really means to be human and to be truly happy. Anyone can contribute to a program like Peru's Challenge. You don't have to be a doctor, teacher or engineer to participate. You just have to have the desire, the commitment and passion to do good. If you can garden, paint, tile, construct, teach, organise, communicate, install, play, work as a team, sing, dance, kick a ball, prepare, or learn how to, then you will be perfect. :) Oh, and knowing Spanish is not a prerequisite, so don't worry. Volunteering is not easy but it is doable. At times, it was very challenging - emotionally, physically and mentally but oh, it was so worth it! We would do it all again in a heartbeat. Thanks to Jane, Selvy and staff for making our Peru's Challenge one of the best experiences of our lives. xo L & S PS. Don't drink the water, eat fresh salads or unpeeled fruits or you'll get to meet the fabulous Doctor who looks after the Peru's Challenge team. :)