from $1355.00

Peru Community Building Project

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Tour style - Learn & Volunteer

8 days

Help bring water to families where water supplies are scarce. Southern Peru is one of the driest places on the planet and many families in these impoverished, desert regions have no water supply. By providing these families with a cistern, volunteers can dramatically change their standard of living within a couple of weeks. The work is hard but rewarding and the cistern will last for many years. This two-week or more volunteer program takes clients to the foot of the Misti volcano, in the south of the Peruvian Andes around the town of Arequipa, where indigenous culture is still very strong. Here volunteers will be building water cisterns for communities in the desert surrounding the city around the homes of families in the community of Villa Santa Rosa de Chiguata. Many new communities have recently been established on the outskirts of Arequipa. These families come from the altiplano, or high plains and are looking for a better standard of living for their families. Water is a scarce resource and the government considers these impoverished regions low on their list of priorities. The school where tour operators run their education program was built in 2006 and much of the community is less than 4 years old. Water is vital to good hygiene, diet and farming. The most effective result of this construction project is to bring this essential element into these impoverished communities. Within 2 short weeks, a GVI volunteer can change the life of a family forever. During your time you will also undertake 10 hours of one-on-one Spanish classes and head out on a mountain-biking adventure on Chachani volcano. Trips to Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail can be organised from Arequipa and are a must if you plan to explore Peru and South America after your volunteer program.
more info

Or call 800.781.4040

  • Summary

    On arrival, volunteers will receive a thorough Health & Safety, and country presentation. Spanish classes will commence on the Monday in the afternoons for the first week. After completing Spanish lessons clients will go out into the community of Chiguata, working with experienced masons. It is about 30 minutes from the center of Arequipa and volunteers will be taken in a private minibus. All participants will be travelling together with GVI staff. Volunteers will be placed in one of three communities in Peru. A typical day on the project will go as follows: All volunteers depart from Arequipa at 8:00am on organised transport and arrive at the drop-off point in the community around half an hour later. Volunteers will then work in the community on their cistern under the tutelage of a local mason and tender. A GVI staff member will also be available to help. Presently, all the volunteers head back to Arequipa from Chiguata at 3:00pm on organised transport, arriving at around 3:30pm. The rest of the day is then at leisure to spend as the client wishes. Spanish classes may be scheduled for the afternoons. Work will include moving materials, mixing cement and concrete, cutting and laying bricks and foundation, tiling and finishing. The construction project can take 7-10 days to complete. Volunteers generally meet up in the evenings to eat, socialise or watch a film. Every Friday evening a barbecue is organized at the hotel for all project volunteers.

  • Highlights

    Make a visible, hands-on difference to the future of an indigenous community while getting immersed in the local culture! You'll experience and live amongst the breathtaking beauty of the Peruvian Andes region, build a cistern from scratch and see others in action. You will also receive one-on-one Spanish tuition and take a biking trip down the Misti volcano!

  • Inclusions

    - Pre-departure support and discounted services - Airport pick-up and drop-off - One night of hotel accommodation for the first Saturday night - Food and accommodation with the host family - Mountain bike trek - Contribution to GVI secondary school scholarships fund - Construction materials and labour costs - 10 hours of Spanish - Daily transport to and from the communities - 24 hour in-country support - CRB check for UK participants

  • Not Included

    - International flights - medical and travel insurance - personal items - spending money - inoculations and medication

more info

Or call 800.781.4040

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