Cultural Immersion & Sustainable Development

This project provides an income source for small communities and promotes cross cultural understanding. Volunteers will be able to take part in local festivities and gatherings both within their host family and the community. Volunteers should consider this project an intense, cultural encounter and be able to live with only basic necessities. It will be very rewarding but also very challenging.

Volunteers help families with the following activities:

Agriculture — As an agriculturally based community the most common crops are potatoes and quinoa. Volunteers assist with planting, harvesting, storing, and transporting crops.

Livestock — Volunteers help by feeding and taking care of the animals and sometimes milking the cows owned by the host family.

Textiles — Volunteers have the opportunity to learn about traditional weaving skills and natural dyes by working with the women who create traditional textile products to sell at local markets.

Please note that the accommodations and meals will be very basic due to the extremely remote setting of these communities. Hot showers will not be available and running water is not guaranteed. Locals bath in a mix of boiled and cold water that they put in a bucket. 

Another important point is that no English is spoken in these communities. Quechua is the local language. Most locals also speak Spanish as a second language. It is still possible to have a rewarding and full experience even though there will be a language barrier. Furthermore, the community is very warm and welcoming to all volunteers.

While our programs are flexible and can be fit to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows:

7:30 AM Breakfast with the host family
8:00 AM/2:00 PM Volunteer will either work with the family directly at their house or go to the local community. Where you volunteer for the day will depend on the time of year (for agriculture) and the type of duties available. Work hours are generally four hours in the morning or afternoon.
12:00 PM-6:00 PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to relax or explore the local area.
7:30 PM Dinner with the host family.

Weekends

On the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Peru. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Machu Picchu. At PV Travel we organize fun and interesting tours for our volunteers, so just let us know where you would like to go!