Children's Home Assistant

Save to Favorites

Are you eager to join the mission in striving to generate the necessary means and resources needed in order to reintegrate the children into society. Would you like to experience new places while committing your time to a good cause? 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. We partner with this local institution providing much needed support for children in difficult circumstances.

About the Children’s Home Assistant position:

A Peruvian’s childhood is one of the most vulnerable and unprotected periods of his or her life. Two thirds of children under the age of 5 live in poverty, and 2 out of 10 live in extreme poverty. We partner with a non profit local children’s home aiming to help sustain boys who mostly come from dysfunctional families with major economic and domestic abuse problems. The children’s home is a non-profit organisation whose goal is to provide children and adolescents living in the streets and in extreme poverty an opportunity for a better future. The child’s integration into life in the home is aided by a multidisciplinary team of professionals - teachers, psychologists, social workers - as well as a varied programme of activities.

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:

• Supporting recreational activities inside and outside the home.
• Helping the children with their school homework.
• Upholding the clear and strict rules and schedule of the house.
• Developing activities and projects for the boys.
• Participating with the day to day tasks running of the house including supervising the children while they complete their daily tasks.
• Assisting the psychologists, therapists, youth workers and other professionals in their regular activities with the children.

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:

• Spanish Requirement: Intermediate
• Age Requirement: 21+
• Time Commitment: Minimum of 2 months but the longer the better
• Working Hours per week: 20-25
• Modest, respectable clothing.
• Placement is subject to the successful completion of a pre-placement psychological suitability test, carried out by Skype by the partner institution, prior to arrival and costs around 5 Pounds/Euros/Dollars.

Volunteering Hours:

• Generally, 20-25 hours per week, Mon - Fri

Desired Skills and Competencies:

• Ability to work as part of a team
• Experience working with younger kids is a plus
• Some knowledge of the nature of dysfunctional low-income families
• Ability to proactively take initiative
• Responsible and mature as you will be working in a challenging environment
• Some background in Social Work education preferable

Related Fields of Study:

• Childhood Studies
• Special Needs Education
• Education
• Youth Work
• Social Work
• Psychology
• Sports
• Art

Typical Day:

Working hours with this particular partner institution vary more than most and can be in the morning, afternoon, early evening or weekend, depending on your specialisms and their requirements. Your working hours will be set in consultation with the institution at the start of your placement.

The workplace is a short walk or even shorter bus ride from the centre of Huanchaco. You will need to allow about 15-30 minutes to get to and from the institution. Tasks in a typical workday include overseeing students in one-to-one or small group capacities, under guidance and supervision of the staff and management, in a range of academic, psychological and free time activities.

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.