Alumni Interview with Sarah Otley

What inspired you to volunteer abroad? 

To experience volunteering as a family. 

What does meaningful travel mean to you? 

To teach my children the importance of awareness in the world and giving to others less fortunate.

Why did you choose Kiya Survivors? 

A parent at my son’s school is the founder of the charity and she agreed to tailor a volunteer trip for a small group of families so the children (aged 11-14) could have the experience but within the family group. 

What do you feel is the biggest impact Kiya Survivors has on local communities?

Kiya has been working in Peru for many years and truly understands the specific needs of the people it cares for. As a race, the Peruvians are lovely people, however there is a huge amount of poverty and a very high level of alcoholism amongst the poor communities. Often as a result of the alcoholism, there is also, very sadly, a high level of incestuous abuse within families and consequently many inbred children are born, often with disabilities. These children are seen as the devils children by the uneducated outer communities and are often terribly neglected and mistreated. Kiya has an outreach team who works with these families, educating them and guiding them. Kiya has been responsible for helping many children and families like this.

How did Kiya Survivors help support you and your family in preparing for adjusting to your volunteer program?

Throughout our fundraising year before we went to Peru, Suzy Butler ran a series of workshop days for the families involved, dealing with things like what to expect, how to handle situations, and how to work together in a group. Teaching the children to understand that doing anything like this in a group always has its ups and downs and how to help others out if they were struggling or understanding the need for space etc. This was hugely important given that the group was partly made up of young people who have perhaps not yet developed the social skills and ability to interpret people’s feelings.

When we were in Peru, we were lucky to have a fabulous lady called Rosie who was with us 24/7 throughout our trip ensuring everything ran smoothly and everyone was ok. An example of this: one of my sons, Harry, has mild Aspergers and he struggled at the Rainbow Centre interacting with children who had physical and mental disabilities. Harry was quickly despatched to work with the group who were tasked with the bathroom building project out in the poorest area which, although is considerably harder than working with the children at the Rainbow Centre, encountering the poverty and deprivation at first hand, he was immediately much happier here and threw himself into the building work with gusto.

Describe what a typical day of volunteering looked like. 

In Urubamba, we were split into groups, some working with children who had physical and mental disabilities and some decorating classrooms, whilst another group worked out of the main town up in a small (very poor) community building a bathroom for a family (who had been identified by the charity), which had no facilities or running water.

In Mancora, we worked each morning at the Children’s centre, helping to repaint and repair areas which had been damaged in the flooding earlier that year. 

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad? 

Sightseeing, exploring and in the North, and chilling out having beach time (riding and surfing). 

What made your experience extraordinary? 

Visiting Machu Picchu.

Based on your experience, what makes Peru an ideal place to volunteer abroad?

Peru is such a wonderful country of extremes, from hot sunny beaches in the North to the beautiful Andean scenery inland the South. It worked for us as a family; although there are obviously pitfalls and dangers of going to any country like this, we felt it was a fairly safe option for us as a family.

What was your favorite part about Peru?

The people!

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it? 

In Urubamba, we stayed with a host family. It was simple, but clean. In Mancora, we were lucky to stay in a beach house which was the perfect place to relax in the heat of the afternoon when it was too hot for labouring.

Would you recommend Kiya Survivors to others? Why? 

Absolutely. Kiya prepared us as a family very well before we set off. 

What advice do you have for future participants?

Go with an open mind and accept that things happen when they happen! 

How has volunteering in Peru impacted your family after returning home?

We returned from Peru much closer as a family and with our eyes well and truly opened.  Even a year on, when the boys start moaning about lack of Xbox time or some such 1st world gripe, humility is instantly restored when I remind them of the families and children we worked with.

What do you feel the biggest benefit of volunteering abroad was for you? 

To learn as a family.