Urban Childcare Assistant

The majestic city of the Incas, while tourist based and thriving, is a city of the poor who come in from hungry villages hoping to sell their crafts, clothes and even pose for photos in traditional dress just to make enough to eat. Each year in the city of Cusco millions of tourist visit to explore the Incan culture and venture to Machu Picchu. Although there is such high tourism and a thriving economy more than half of the population still lives in poverty. Due to the inability to make enough money to support their families tourist will encounter child beggars at all hours of day and night. Among the poverty, the ageless majesty of the Incan empire radiates from the streets of this historic city. As you walk the cobble stone streets and witness the small girl posing with her Llama or the man pushing a cart of cheese to the nearby market, you can’t help but notice their features and recognise they are all direct descendants of the exceptional rulers of the Andes.

In this indigenous culture many children are subject to troubling home environments due to low income, addiction, violence and neglect. PMGY Peru has joined up with local organisations to provide assistance to children with great need. The projects range from orphanages to after-school programmes providing food for the young workers of Cusco.

Though lower class families receive some minor assistance from the government, in many situations they require their children to leave school and take to the streets for work. Due to this reality, at no cost, local groups including police, language schools, government institutions and local NGOs have teamed up to give food, shelter, entertainment and at times clothing for the young ones.

The kindergarten programmes and those for working children are essential in restoring families and providing necessary assistance to ensure children are not abandoned. Volunteers joining us in the childcare projects are able to both assist in the prevention of orphaned children and also provide support to those that have been. By volunteering on these projects you are contributing so that children can be fed, educated and guided in becoming a good citizen to their community and interact in sports or crafts as appropriate to their age.

In many cases working children or those in the kindergarten will spend hours in the afternoon until late into the night following their mother as she trots through the plaza selling jewellery or food off a cart. It isn’t uncommon to go into a shop and find a little ones sleeping in the back or encounter a child on the lap of his grandmother as she roasts corn in an alleyway on the way home from a night out. With each volunteer there is a donation made to these projects and with that donation is more potential for these projects to enhance or even save a family from separating or a child from being forced into a foster home or orphanage.

For our programmes in Latin America, we recommend that you speak basic to intermediate Spanish. While the programmes only require you to speak a basic level of Spanish, we find that the ability to speak a good level of Spanish will greatly enhance your overall experience. English is generally not widely spoken so if you do not speak a reasonable level of Spanish then you will find it difficult to communicate and thus may have a frustrating experience.

PMGY offer Online Spanish Lessons that you can take before your trip. These are priced at $225 for 20-hours and this provides you with the opportunity to receive one-on-one classes from a trained Spanish teacher. Classes are held via Skype and can be worked around your schedule back in your home country. We also offer a Language & Immersion Programme which you can take part in prior to your volunteer placement. This provides you with 20 hours-per-week of group Spanish lessons. Both of these options can be added during our online application process and are highly recommended if you want to make the most of your volunteer placement.

Once you are in-country then you are also able to organise additional Spanish lessons directly with our local team. Volunteer feedback suggests that it can often be tiring to complete Spanish lessons at the same time as your volunteer placement so we generally recommend the Language & Immersion Programme option.

For the majority of our programmes you can apply at any time. However, we advise that you apply as soon as possible to ensure we have availability on the programme – particularly if you’re looking to travel between June and August, as spaces can fill up very quickly during this period.

It is best that you apply sooner rather than later as some of our programmes only have a limited capacity and spaces get filled very quickly. However, you should always make sure you’re 100% committed to the programme before applying.

Can I use this programme as part of a university or college placement? 

It is certainly possible to use one of PMGY’s programmes as part of your university or college placement. Project staff can sign off any paperwork required by your course tutors. PMGY regularly receives medical, childcare, psychology and nursing placement students at our projects around the world and we have ties with some of the leading universities.

If you’re a course tutor and would like further information about how one of PMGY’s programmes could meet the placement requirements for your degree course then please contact us.

Although our volunteers work in the developing world, we always ensure our host locations are safe. Each programme has been extensively researched and has passed our strict vetting process. Our UK team undergo an extensive routine when establishing our in-country infrastructures and we continue to monitor our safety procedures on a regular basis. Furthermore, we monitor the stability of our volunteer destinations on a daily basis. Through our constant contact with consulates and embassies and our reports from our overseas teams, we are able to ensure that our volunteers are never placed in unstable regions.

The PMGY team have visited and participated in every programme we offer and verified them based on our own independent criteria. We carefully inspect every little detail of our set-up. From inspecting the living conditions, checking out the neighbourhoods you’ll be staying in, to tasting the food you’ll be eating – each and every programme we establish has gone through a lengthy and rigorous vetting process. Risk assessments have been written for all areas in which PMGY operate and our experienced local coordinators are always on-hand to manage any emergencies that may occur. Our UK team are always on the road reviewing our risk management procedures in the field and monitoring local conditions. 

In emergency situations we have the necessary protocols and equipment in place and we are able to evacuate our volunteers from potential dangers. Our local coordinators are trained to deal with emergency circumstances. 

All volunteers will receive a digital PMGY Volunteer Handbook once they have paid their deposit and confirmed their place on the programme. This Handbook contains literally everything you need to know – from what to pack, to how to obtain a visa, to local language guides. It is really important that you read through the Volunteer Handbook carefully once you’ve downloaded it. If you require any further information not covered in the Volunteer Handbook then our team are always on-hand to assist you.