Support Local Women's Empowerment

The program

The mission of this program is to support the women of the Cusco area who have suffered from abuse. The Women's Empowerment program aims to assist these women who have suffered domestic violence, offering them a refuge to escape the violence and a safe place to re-group and plan for a better life. Most of the women who seek shelter and form part of the program have children so the shelter where volunteers will assist works directly with their children too. The project aims to help with emotional healing as well as teaching skills and helping women to regain control of their lives.

Volunteers spend their time caring for the women and children, offering them companionship, skill learning, education and attention. The women have made the first step by leaving the abusive situation, however they now need support to make a better life from themselves. That’s where international volunteers come in. The projects are severely understaffed and underfunded, which is why they are in urgent need of staff. Volunteers will find that they can make a real difference to the lives of abused and vulnerable women and children through their participation in this important program.

Goals of this Project:

• Provide essential care and support to vulnerable women and children
• Improve the future prospects of abused women
• Give impoverished women and children quality care, compassion and a sense of hope
• Enable inter-cultural exchange which benefits both locals and international volunteers alike

How you can help

Volunteers play an essential role in helping women and their children suffering from domestic abuse. Participants will spend their time supporting the women and their children and assisting the local staff as needed. Volunteers make a huge difference to the lives of these vulnerable people and are truly needed and appreciated at these projects. Part of the volunteers’ responsibilities will be to help the women with English, support them during the workshops, as well as lend a hand around the shelter (cooking, cleaning, laundry etc.).

Volunteers will also have the opportunity to organize activities for the women, which is a great chance to provide skill-oriented training, and will also have the chance to share their own experiences and insights. Cusco is a very welcoming tourist city, filled with many friendly people, places to see and things to do. The Plaza de Armas, the heart of the city, is close to where volunteers will be based, and features a multitude of restaurants, cafes, and bars. Volunteers can spend their down time exploring this wonderful ancient city.

Volunteers will contribute in a number of ways on this program and can expect to undertake the following tasks:

• Support women and children in the shelter
• Attend to and interact with the children
• Organize activities and provide skill-based training
• Assist with the running of the shelter, including cooking, cleaning, laundry etc

A volunteer’s work day on this project will generally last between 4 and 6 hours and while we ask all volunteers to be flexible in this regard, a typical daily schedule is likely to go something like this:

8:00am Breakfast at the host family accommodation

8:30am Walk or bus to project site

9:00am VOLUNTEERING DUTIES START

A tea break and lunch break will be fitted in during the day, but often the timing of breaks will change based on the needs of the local staff and number of volunteers on hand.

1:00pm VOLUNTEERING DUTIES END

1:30pm Walk or bus back to host family accommodation

Evenings Free time to relax and have dinner with your host family or explore the sights and sounds of central Cusco!