Volunteer in Childcare in Peru - Cusco

They make applying easy, prepare you fully for your experience and have great locations and help you along the way and even during your trip. If youre unsure about going, I totally recommend it. It has been the best experiences I have ever had volunteering, they make you feel safe, have fun, and have many great extracurriculars to enjoy while on your trips, they also have activities you can book to connect with the local culture. This is a awesome company and I reccomend it 100%!! Please book with them!!

A truly wonderful experience from start to finish. Friendly, professional, supportive staff, teachers, hosts and placement. Great country, people, food. There was nothing I could complain about. The staff were all superb, helpful, and had regular check-ins to make sure I was ok, happy, and all was running smoothly. Easy to contact should extra adjustments or support be required. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone, including international volunteers. They are supportive and proactive, offering advice and support every step of the way.

Two unforgettable weeks in Cusco! Volunteering in Cusco was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. During my first week, I worked in childcare, looking after toddlers while their hardworking moms ran stalls at the local market. The second week, I supported young mothers and their babies as they developed small income-generating projects within their community. Each day brought something new challenges, smiles, and powerful moments of connection. Playing with the kids was my finest moment their laughter and hugs made everything worthwhile. The local team was incredibly supportive, and my host family welcomed me with warmth and kindness, making me feel at home from day one. It wasn’t always easy — language barriers and limited resources made some tasks challenging, and emotionally, it’s tough to witness the difficult situations some families face. But these obstacles only made the experience more meaningful. If you're looking for an experience that combines cultural immersion, personal growth, and real social impact, Cusco is the place to be.

Where to begin..? Through the help of IVHQ, I was able to fulfil a life long dream of visiting Peru, while also maximising my time by working with the most incredible children of Cusco. The experience was fulfilling in soo many ways, and I genuinely hope to come back very soon and spend a bit longer on one of the childcare initiatives.

After completing the application, I was bombarded with automatic emails requesting payments and offering add-ons. Once accepted, I was assigned a program manager meant to support me throughout the process. Initially, I had one contact, but due to internal workload, another took over. Unfortunately, they seemed inexperienced - not just in the role, but in basic customer service. Responses often felt AI-generated or unrelated to my questions, and I was repeatedly referred to the “volunteer guide,” which I had already read. I needed actual support, not generic replies. As a European traveling to Peru, the time zone difference made communication with IVHQ’s New Zealand office even harder. The vague and unhelpful replies added stress, and my travel partner withdrew as a result. I ended up going alone. I don’t regret visiting Peru, but I would not use IVHQ again. I’d either choose a different organization or ensure that my program manager had firsthand experience in the destination country. Even after CC’ing the general support email, I kept receiving the same generic replies. I later learned that my manager had never been to Peru and gave me incorrect info about the Machu Picchu trip. IVHQ doesn’t allow volunteers to contact directly the local partner organization or tour operator in advance, even after payment. This policy caused avoidable problems and left me unprepared for key aspects of the experience. Even after I brought concerns to this manager's supervisors, I received no follow-up. After paying the so-called “flexible registration fee,” I was even questioned unprofessionally for wanting to change my travel dates - despite the journey involving two days of travel with two stopovers. The cost of the program was excessive, even worse if compared to the level of service. I discovered that others who booked directly with the local organization paid much less, raising doubts about how much of the fee actually benefits the local community. Little information was provided about the actual volunteer project. I was told Spanish wasn’t required, but no one spoke English on site. I wish I had been informed so I could prepare better. Worse, I wasn't even told which project I’d be working on until the day the program started - a full week after I’d already arrived in Peru. The local organization is mainly a prestigious language center that also offers volunteer placements, but those seem like not their primary focus. Communication with IVHQ was limited to email. A scheduled online info session wasn’t in a feasible time slot due to the time difference, and although they promised a recording, the link they sent never worked - twice. As for the mandatory travel insurance, I used IVHQ’s recommended provider. When my luggage was delayed for three days, I notified IVHQ but wasn’t advised to save receipts - essential for filing a claim. In Peru, you rarely get receipts, even for essentials. The Machu Picchu add-on was poorly explained. There are two separate tickets, one for the Inca Trail, and another one for the historic sanctuary, which is divided into circuits. Only Circuits 1 and 2 include the Classic Machu Picchu photo, which I missed. I was told all routes included it - this was incorrect. When I tried posting questions in the “IVHQ Peru – Cusco” Facebook group, some weren’t approved. Even though I was polite, it seems posts are filtered if they raise questions the organization prefers to hide. In conclusion, IVHQ felt more like a travel company selling low quality tour packages than a truly volunteer-focused organization. Their website and branding are polished, but the actual service fell far short. If you choose to go with IVHQ, ensure that your program manager has already been to your destination. Otherwise, consider booking directly through a trusted local provider.

It was a fantastic experience , you know a lot of people, you make new friends..the kids are great. and in your spare time there are so many things you can do and see .. I highly recommend it .... thank you very much

Woooww, I volunteer 2months in Cusco, Peru, Childcare program in orphanage Juan Pablo II. I don't know where to start but first I wanna thanks to IVHQ for time of my life, overoll my experience was way more than I expected, from the suport and fast advices from IVHQ team in New Zealand, answering on all my questions so quickly and detailed to huge support and help from IVHQ partner in Peru Maximo Nivel. First time in South America, alone,you feel lost, but in 2months I never feel lonely. From the airport pick up, family placement which was outstanding, beautiful, comfortable, and simply in two months you feel connection like is your own family, food in placement was perfect. During my time in Cusco Maximo Nivel was huge help and support, with huge facility in centar of Cusco city it was my everyday stop point for few hours, I sign up for spanish leasons for 6week for realy cheep price(65$ one week or 10hours) and belive me after 6 weeks I tought I dream but I start to speak spanish, also great thing is that you can set tandem for free and speak with native spanish speaker for hour, two or more. Maximo facility have a huge computer room, wifi is great, cafeteria with cheep food, coffee and tea is gratis. They have bunch of free events like Salsa Tuesday, cooking clasess, city tours, museum tours,yoga clasess...etc..Maximo Nivel staff is simply the best always willing to help, and always ready for jokes and laughs, big support and big professionals on everyday basics. There is a agency that partner with Maximo and you can book all your trips true them, it's safe, correct, on time and reliable(100%recomended) My volunteer placement in orphanage was the best experience of my life, from the first day I arrived in orphanage the kids was amaizing and full of love. It was a summer brake(january- march) and we did it so manny activity, play, draw, teach english, matematic painting and renovating some rooms, celebraiting birthadays, carneval, cooking, dancing all the time, bunch of sport activity, went to theatar, just talking and have fun. It's so unbeliveble how orphanage kids are so thankful, inteligent , brave, positive, smily and full of love, they realy take care of each other and love each other like real brothers and sisters. On my last day all kids and directory come to say goodbye to me and it was so sensitive and I wont lie I start to cry as soon as I step out from the orphanage. Honestly I could write days and days about my great experience, and belive me or not, not single bad thing hapens during my 2months in Cusco. One more time I whish thanks to IVHQ and Maximo Nivel to help me have the best time on my life and without them I would be complitely lost. Sorry on my incorect language, but english is my second language, and after this program spanish is third

Going to Peru was such a treasure. I went in with a mind full of curiosity. I had no time to panic or question what I was about to get myself into. But everything was so beyond great. Once I got off my plane, I saw my name on a sign stating it was for IVHQ. That's how I knew from the start that I was going to be okay. When I met the staff and the other volunteers, I knew I was in a good place. Everyone was so enduring and so incredibly helpful. It made my trip a lot more easier! I stayed for one week. It was my first trip out for IVHQ so I thought a week was enough to test the waters. But the waters were perfectly fine to me. I was so close to postponing my flight so that I could stay much longer but I had prior obligations at home waiting for me. I told all of my friends and family that my next trip with IVHQ is definitely going to last for a month or more. This was such a beautiful experience. Your heart grows more because you're not just on vacation. You're doing something good for humanity. You're meeting people from all over the world. You're widening your horizons with food, places, and people. It'll change your life for the better... It's been 2 weeks since I came back and i'm already planning for my next trip!

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