Do you want to increase future opportunities for children and vulnerable adults from low-income families around Huanchaco whilst discovering new places in Peru? Do you want to help our local communities to improve their English and Literature skills, supervise children in recreational activities, teach about environmental awareness and empower local women? Then join us in Peru as part of the Otra Cosa Network team!

About Otra Cosa Network

Otra Cosa Network is a well-established UK Registered Charity and Peruvian registered not for profit (NGO),addressing the educational needs of children and vulnerable adults in an extremely impoverished area of Northern Peru. We work in informal settlements where many community members have been displaced by climate change, disaster and political instability. They live in precarious circumstances, few have running water, sewage provision and there is only sporadic electricity. Additionally, many children are forced to work instead of continuing their education, in order to boost family finances and there are no community-based facilities for learning and developing new skills in a safe environment.

Our dynamic range of activities address language skills, environmental awareness, women’s entrepreneurship, youth, employability and gender empowerment. we are seeking volunteers to work in project implementation in our new Recreation and Education Centre as well as our field office. Projects will restart as soon as the community is safely able to come out of isolation, post coronavirus. Our range of activities are implemented by national and international volunteers, allowing them to express solidarity whilst boosting their field experience.

About the Community Education Volunteer position:

This volunteering position is a great opportunity to gain experience in several different fields and get an insight into the world of NGOs first-hand. Volunteering with us in community-based centres will allow you to work in environmental awareness, English teaching, women’s empowerment and youth development. However, in case you bring specific knowledge of one program with you or should you have to focus on a specific field because of your studies, there is still the opportunity to specialise in one area or another.

Please note that all volunteer positions are also available as Internships. With this add-on you will receive an extra level of mentorship and where necessary all appropriate liaison with your academic institution to ensure compliance with internship placement requirements. Please see our separate internships listing for further in-depth information or check out our website at www.otracosa.org.

This position includes tasks such as:

• Planning and implementing workshops on topics such as environmental awareness raising, English language skills, women’s empowerment, health and wellbeing.
• Supervising or teaching skateboarding, sports, crafts and games to the children.
• Giving homework support and small group tutoring.
• Bringing new ideas about how to improve the program and space.
• Attending weekly meetings with your fellow volunteers and coordinator to plan the upcoming activities.

What you can expect from us:

• Personal pick-up upon arriving and walking tour through Huanchaco
• Thorough introduction to the organization
• Certified training in First Aid and Child Safeguarding.
• 24/7 emergency support
• Organized activities & trips (barbeques, game nights, volunteer-lunch, team building trips) with like-minded people from all over the world
• Working in a friendly beach & surf town right next to many historical sites
• The satisfying feeling of committing your work to a good cause whilst gaining insight into a new culture.
• Certificate of completion detailing your role, the project(s) you participated in and the dates you volunteered in.

Requirements:

• Current background check from your home country.
• Spanish level: none required but some Spanish can always come in useful*
• Time commitment: 4 weeks.

* We can arrange Spanish classes for you in advance (by Skype) or during your stay, if you have no/minimum Spanish or want to improve your language skills.

Volunteering Hours:

• Generally 20-25 per week, Mon-Fri

Desired Skills & Competencies:

• Experience of teaching or working with or looking after children desirable.
• Innovation and creativity.
• Good teamwork.
• Able to cope with active children.
• Empathetic, responsible and open-mind personality.

Related Fields of Study:

• Education
• Community Development Studies
• TEFL
• Environmental Sciences
• Sociology
• Youth Work
• Anthropology
• Sports
• Spanish
• Gender Studies
• Psychology
• Social Work
• Migration Studies
• International Relations
• Development
• Disasters, Adaptation and Development

Typical day:

Whilst there is a lot of variety in this role, on a typical day as a Recreation and Education center volunteer you will start with a meeting with the other volunteers and the project coordinator, where you assist in the planning of the week's activities and educational classes as well as future events or bigger activities.

Here you have a chance to contribute your own experiences or help give us new ideas on how to make the program as innovative and interactive as possible. In the afternoon you will go to the Recreation and Education Centre and carry out your planned activities, running the class that you took responsibility for. During this time, you will also have plenty of opportunities to play and interact with the children and beneficiaries and create a connection with them.

After work there is plenty of time to catch one of Huanchaco’s world famous sunsets from the tranquillity of the beach, or indeed from a surfboard. Then there are various options to fill your evening, socializing with local and other volunteers, sampling the famous Peruvian cuisine, attending talks and cultural events, music, dance, theatre, movies- the list is endless.

Huanchaco and free-time activities

Huanchaco is a beautiful coastal town where the waves are perfect all year long, which makes this place popular among surfers. The long beaches and relaxed atmosphere attract both Peruvians from nearby cities and backpackers traveling through Peru. This gives the small town an extremely welcoming and friendly vibe where the locals, volunteers and travellers interact and getting to know each other on a daily basis. The city has adapted to this mix and hosts many cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, surf schools, gyms and other activities and sports that are available for everyone. However, the town still remains a quiet, easy-going place that retains its fishing-village ambience. Over the last three millennia, locals have stuck to traditional ways of fishing, going out on their caballitos de totora (traditional reed fishing boats), and using their nets to gather their catch for the day. Furthermore, Huanchaco is surrounded by mountains where it is possible to go hiking (tours are arranged by local guides, at reasonable prices). If you prefer cultural activities, the district is home to Chan Chan, the largest pre-Columbian city in South America and is only a few minutes away from Huaca del sol y de la luna, which are among the most well-preserved temple ruins of the old Incan empire that can be found in Peru. Trujillo, Peru’s third biggest city, is only a 30 minutes bus ride far away. The colonial city of Trujillo offers many shopping and sight-seeing opportunities accompanied by a lively big city feeling.

Enquiries and Applications

To make an application, please visit our website at www.otracosa.org or contact us on info@otracosa.org for further information.