International Volunteering Programme Proyecto Amigo Huamachuco, Peru. InfoPack

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1 International Volunteering Programme Proyecto Amigo Huamachuco, Peru InfoPack

2 Dear reader! If you are reading these lines, it means that you are considering to apply or you already applied for the international volunteering programme Proyecto Amigo that is taking place in beautiful mountain area of Huamachuco, Peru. We would highly recommend you to read the InfoPack carefully before starting the preparation for your volunteering period. The following document was created to cover all the questions that might arise and be important for you, before your mobility takes place.

3 In a nutshell. What is this programme about? Every year, our family is growing and more and more international volunteers are entering into our lives in Proyecto Amigo. Their contribution is very valuable to our organization and, more importantly, to the people from the city of Huamachuco. They are supporting children in their after school lessons, playing games with them, helping in our bakery, making videos or campaigns and many other things. They go back home with a memory full of smiling faces, funny stories to share, Peruvian street music and sometimes aha! moments! We don t promise you that your experience here will always be an easy going one but we can assure you that the adventure is worthwhile!

4 Who we are? Proyecto Amigo (PA) is a non profit organization founded by a community of educators and popular educators, coming from different backgrounds. It started 23 years ago in the Andes of Northen Peru, extending its work to other areas along the years. Proyecto Amigo seeks to contribute to building a society where men and women alike share the same rights and benefits, such as: social justice, equality, freedom, solidarity. The Project is based on the principles of popular education, multiculturalism, human rights and respect for nature. PA is committed to a liberating education that enables a real recognition of the people, such as sovereignty of villagers and their right to a decent life. Freedom is understood as the capacity and the actual opportunities a person has, to do something or to become someone, individual and collectively, to achieve certain objectives. This freedom entails overcoming discrimination and social exclusion of the vast majority of Peruvians, whom, in conditions of poverty, see their possibilities of development as limited. Why Proyecto Amigo project? Peru is a country of abundant natural resources and rich culture. Despite this, over half of the population live in poverty. Social discrimination and inequality are widespread. The reasons for this can be found in the country s turbulent history of Spanish colonialism, a series of autocratic governments and a civil war in which nearly 70,000 people died, just to name a few, but, also in the present decisional and administration systems and social structures and mentalities. The area of the mountains, the Andes, are confronted with special issues. One of the biggest problem is the forced and child labour. One of the primary factors for this practice is poverty, from which approximately 60% of Peruvian children suffer (according to a 2008 report by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática). For many living in such conditions the short term need for earnings is so acute that they (or their parents) decide to sacrifice education in favour of a small income. Proyecto Amigo was born to support these children in gaining their rights to a decent life standards, to education and to equality. The working children or adolescents (in Spanish called Ninios y Adolescentes Trabajadores NAT) are often victims of abuse: on the streets, at work and at home.

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6 Our educators are regularly visiting the homes of NATs to ensure that their rights and needs are respected. They are also documenting their health, hygiene, nutrition and social networks. The children s typical jobs are: selling ice cream and food, brushing shoes, shop assistants, agriculture and livestock. Many children are also working in informal mines or brick factories, in a so called whole range of slavery like practices without legal forms and without proper training and equipment, making them easy victims for fraud, accident or illness cases. Also because they are working they can t attend school classes. Proyecto Amigo started by offering assistance to the children and adolescents that are working, by giving them free access to education, offering legal support and counseling, working with companies and public institutions to adopt legal and administrative measures that would protect them. In Huamachuco another sad statistics shows that 73% of children between 6 and 9 years suffer from malnutrition and that the mortality average is 45% among newborns (without counting those who fail to birth). The child labour is just one of the issues the Andes area in particularly is confronting. Other equally important problem is: inequality for the indigenous communities, that have known a history of social and economical discrimination and political marginalization. These communities are, most of the time, formed from people living in the rural area, that often don t have access to any form of healthcare (less than 50 % according to theinstituto Nacional de Estadística e Informática), that are living in poverty and have lower levels of education. For recognizing the social, economical and cultural value of the people from rural area, Proyecto Amigo started a series of projects and initiatives. Sexism, gender inequality, domestic violence and sexual abuse can be added to the list of issues our community is facing. Although women represent half of the population of Peru, they do not have equal access to resources or power. For example, girls and women are well behind boys in educational terms; in rural areas, 33.7 % of women are illiterate, against 10.9% of men. Peru is making also in the top of the world countries where domestic abuse and violence towards women are happening. Proyecto Amigo is trying bring a change in these issues, to work on gender equality by initiating campaigns, offering sexual education workshops, creating a network of independent women. More information about Peru social and economical challenges you can find here:

7 What we concretely do? 1. We offer education to children and adolescents who are working (so called NATs) and to children coming from rural areas and from poor families, promoting the concept of social mobilization and community action. We organize classes, workshops, visits and other activities with and for the children. 2. We work together with other organizations and with the state institutions in order to protect human rights. In our understanding, human dignity is an inalienable right, which is why we question the way poverty and oppression is addressed by the system; how structural obstacles are confronted which prevent the promotion of good living and a peoplecentered development. We focus on different social components and different categories of people: children that are working, persons from rural areas, abused women, families with a history of economic deprivation, etc. 3. We are developing a social movement that consists from a: network of people, education and awareness workshops on the topic of political violence, campaigns and meetings to honor the memory and to recognize the victims of the civil war, called Para Que No Se Repita movement. 4. We have developed a social enterprise component a carpentry workshop and a bakery where are employed our previous students from NATs, that helps sustain financially the organization. 5. Many more other initiatives and projects, such as environmental education and protection, events with and for the local community, etc. The team As mentioned before, Proyect Amigo was founded by a group of popular educators in 1992, promoted specially by Mario Vidori, a laic missionary from Lurate Caccivio (Como, Italy) and Nury Garcia. Through their work, Mario and Nury want to promote social changes such as the positive recognition of the children from rural area and from poor families in society and their value as human beings. They are occupying the position of head of the organization. Proyecto Amigo team consists also from two educators, Rocio Altamirano and Marin Cardenas Arteagaworking on proposals for education and training of NATs, human rights, Para Que No Se Repita movement. The Project includes also Yesenia Altamirano, working in the administration and finance department and the persons that are working in the carpentry and in the bakery. In addition we always get support from local and international volunteers.

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9 ABOUT OUR VOLUNTEERS Participant profile We are looking for volunteers that are outgoing and dynamic. He/she must have a good sense of relations and to be able to take initiatives. One more important value that we share and expect from our volunteers is a high sense of responsibility and sensibility towards other people s needs. The volunteer should have at least a basic knowledge of Spanish due to the fact that almost all the people in the organization and in the community speak only Spanish. One of the most important criteria is that the volunteer must like to live in rural areas and in contact with nature. Also, the volunteer should consider before applying that the general living conditions are typical for a developing country and he/she will not find the living standards that he/she can have in their home countries. What will be your main responsibilities here? You are expected to work 6 hours per day. Half of this time, you will be involved in assisting children with their classes or having different activities together with them. The second half can be established with the volunteer, upon their arrival here, and may include (but not exclusively) activities such as: help in our bakery and carpentry workshops, managing our library, assisting in our research programme, promoting the organization activities, such as managing our webpage and the social networks, organizing trainings and workshops for different groups, etc. A full list of possible activities you can find in the call for volunteers. You are entitled to two consecutive days off per week and also with two days of holidays for each worked month. All the rights and responsibilities will be foreseen in a volunteering agreement between the organisation and the volunteer. What rights and benefits do you have? Accommodation & all costs related to accommodation (water, electricity & gas) Training and mentoring throughout the entire period of the volunteering Volunteering certificate at the end of the program and reference letter in accordance to the results the volunteer has achieved within the project.

10 TECHNICAL INFORMATION City of Huamachuco Proyecto Amigo is located in Peru in South America, in Peru. Its headquarters is in Huamachuco, capital of the Province of Sanchez Carrion, in La Libertad region. Huamachuco is located at an altitude of 3,269 meters above sea level in the North Andean Andes, 184 km from Trujillo (capital of the region). The district of Huamachuco had more than inhabitants and has all the facilities a medium size city can offer: shops, markets, coffee shops and restaurants, pharmacies and medical care units, etc. Of the several archaeological treasures of the area, the most interesting is the Marcahuamachuco, also called the Machu Picchu of the North. The city counts also for the biggest square (Plaza de Armas) in Peru! Time Zone Peru is located in the UTCGMT 5 hours during standard time. Currency The currency of Peru is soles (PEN). There are some ATMs and currency exchange spots available in the city, although the most accepted conversion is from dollar to sol. We also recommend you to take, if possible, your Visa card since there is only one Master Card ATM available. 1 EURO= 3,8 SOLES 1 DOLLAR= 3,4 SOLES (both conversions are for guidance only; the rate exchange depends on the day of the exchange, the place, the commissions foreseen, etc.) Phone It is important that you change the protocols of your mobile telephones for their correct functioning during your stay in Peru. The international phone code for Peru is +51. In Peru there are a lot of mobile phone operators, with different good offers for calling inside or outside Peru.

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12 Weather conditions The climate has an average annual temperature ranging between 5 18 C and 500 and 1200 mm per year precipitations. Depending on the season your will join the organization the temperature may vary, even though not a lot. Peru's seasons are the reverse of those in the northern hemisphere. Summer in Peru is from December to February and winter from July to September. The rainy season (the summer) starts in September but peaks between January and March, whereas the May August part of the year is characterized by strong insolation, very dry conditions and cold nights and mornings. We want to draw attention that there is no heating system inside houses in Peru, so we recommend to check the weather or ask us before packing your luggage with clothes. VISA Depending on the bilateral agreements between your home country and Peru, VISA might be needed to enter Peru, but Peru is rather a country that offers free access to their visitors. Most countries in America and Western Europe do not require a tourist visa to enter Peru, and the maximum time of stay granted by the authorities is 183 days. We will also provide you with an official document, from the organization, that states the purpose of your staying here in order to facilitate entering the country. To see if you need visa, click here: Programme Fees& Costs We, as Proyecto Amigo, perceive NO fee for taking part in our volunteering programme! The only costs that the volunteer should cover are connected to their travel from their home countries to Huamachuco and also, all the costs connected to assuring their food during their stay in Huamachuco. Living costs and standards For a better orientation over the living costs in Huamachuco, below you can find the of prices for some of the products. Generally vegetables and fruits are abundant in Huamachuco and you can always choose to eat in one of the cheap restaurants near by. Bread 1 sol 4 bananas 1 sol Oil between 4 and 8 soles

13 Toothpaste around 8 soles Menu of the day in a restaurant between 5 20 soles 1 hour internet in an internet place 1 sol Health There will be no insurance provided from Proyecto Amigo side. Volunteers are responsible for assuring health and travel insurance. Also, it is very important that you notify us of any health risk or possibly necessary medicine. There is no mandatory vaccinations for entry into Peru. If you want to visit the Amazon region of the country, we recommend you vaccination against yellow fever but please check with your doctor as well. Also, in first days, because of the high altitude you may experience head pain and dizziness. Travel arrangements To get to Peru we recommend you to choose the Lima airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez). Once in Lima, we will provide you with support about accommodation over the night and travel to Huamachuco. From Lima there are different bus companies that can take you to Huamachuco. The normal rute includes: Lima Trujillio (the capital of the region, travel length aprox. 9 hours) and Trujillo Huamachuco (aprox 5 hours). The cost of the travel is around 80 soles. Even though the travel is long, the travelling conditions are really decent, the busses being equipped with all the facilities needed for such a long way. About travelling inside Peru, we will offer more specific information once the volunteer preparation begins. Hosting conditions The volunteers are living in the Proyecto Amigo educational center, 5 minutes walking from city center, together with other international volunteers. The place is equipped with kitchen (basic facilities included), bathrooms with running water (hot water available), furnished dorms. The number of maximum volunteers in one room is 4, even though the most cases the room is shared only by two volunteers. The volunteers can also enjoy the center s inner yard in sunny days el patio. The place is not equipped with a washing machine! The internet is available through a wifi network 6 hours daily. In case the volunteer needs more time the internet, she /he has to provide it by themselves.

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15 What to bring? First, we recommend you to bring rather sporty, comfortable, warm clothes because of the weather and the relief. You might consider also to bring sun cream (the sun is really strong here), own towel and any special medicine you might need. Also, if you plan to travel inside Peru, you might consider taking good walking boots, backpack, sleeping bag and other such things. Selection and participation In order to apply, please send your application form and your CV (preferably in Spanish) to the e mail: voluntariado.proyectoamigo@gmail.com with the subject: Volunteering Proyecto Amigo. The application forms submitted should contain the name of the volunteer in the file name. The volunteers that pass the first stage of the recruitment procedure are invited for a Skype interview, for final selection. Organizers contact E mail: proyectoamigo.pa@gmail.com voluntariado.proyectoamigo@gmail.com Address: 884 Jirón Francisco Bolognesi, Huamachuco More information Thank you for the attention and we hope to see you soon :)!

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