Education and games in the jungle of Iquitos
Get involved in a small indigenous community, support the development of children in the Peruvian jungle.
Peru is a country that has grown a lot in recent years. This economic growth has always been accompanied by profound inequality, associated with racial and ethnic factors. Indigenous communities suffer from strong forms of social exclusion and discrimination. They have limited access to work, education and basic services. For this reason, poverty rates in their villages are higher. This is also the reality in Santa Clara. The population of Santa Clara faces problems such as child labor, domestic violence or the low academic level of their public school. This situation makes it difficult to access a better future.
Through this Free School, the founders of the project, Andrea and Pia, support the development of the children. This school offers them a space where they feel protected and where they can develop their abilities. The project organises workshops focused on art, music, self-esteem and creativity. These cooperative games allow the children to grow in an atmosphere of mutual support and love. Volunteers are invited to run their own workshops: painting, languages, photography, etc. In addition, the arrival of volunteers contributes to the local economy. During your stay you can hire local guides for excursions in the Amazon river or the jungle, eat dishes prepared by Señora Paola, the project's neighbour, and shop in the village's small shops.
In this project you will live with an authentic community. You will also share the same way of life as the local population: you will live in a wooden house, with limited access to electricity and you will shower with rainwater overlooking the Amazon.
This project works towards achieving the following Sustainable Development Goals
-
Project Location
Santa Clara, Iquitos. -
Volunteer hours
2.5 h/day from 15:00 to 17:30. In the morning, the volunteers usually support the maintenance of the little school and prepare the workshops. -
Volunteer activities
Preparation of workshops: art/theatre, music/dance, cooperative games, school reinforcement, work on emotional development, support in site maintenance (construction, painting etc.). -
Minimal collaboration
2 weeks -
Incluido
Tumaini accompanimentHot waterAccommodationDinnerLocal CoordinatorTraining courseBreakfastAirport pick-upVolunteer liability insuranceWIFI -
No incluido
Tourist activitiesLunchKitchenTravel insuranceFlight
Galería
''It is not easy to describe in words what you feel in an incredible part of the world and with people who give you everything'' Daniel Sánchez Corcoles, was in the project from 2 to 20 August 2018.
Volunteer Program
Voluntary activities
- Preparing and conducting workshops in art, music, cooperative games, etc.
- Propose their own workshops (painting, photography, yoga, etc.).
- Support maintenance work
- Participate in dialogue circles
- Prepare a snack for the children.
Profiles required
- Be of legal age or, in the case of minors, be accompanied by an adult. The minimum age to participate is 5 years old.
- Be open-minded, tolerant, supportive and willing to learn. Flexibility is essential, as tasks may change depending on the needs of the NGO, similarly the ability to work in a team since volunteering is done in coordination with other people.
- People who want to experience nature in its purest form, far from the big tourist centres.
- People who want to get to know the life of an indigenous community, medicinal plants, etc. (excursion into the jungle during which the local guide tells about the use of plants).
- Creative people with initiative
- People who can do without some amenities, as there is no running water in the community and electricity is only available 2-3 hours a day.
- Teachers, professors, social educators or any professional or student in the education sector, in particular people with experience in alternative education / forest schools.
A day in the project
Then we would have a circle where we would have a general greeting, the workshops of the day would be presented and we would play a couple of games in which we all participated.
On Mondays it was sports day: dodgeball, volleyball, football, ping pong... On Fridays it was cinema day, the children chose from the films available and then we showed them on television. The entrance to the cinema was some waste that we could throw in the rubbish bin (plastic bags, bottles...). The rest of the week the workshops varied quite a lot, from crafts like mandalas or origami, to talks about alcoholism or sex education.
Each child could choose 3 or a maximum of 4 workshops a day and was free to change to another one 30 minutes after the start of a workshop and was responsible for staying for the 30 minutes in the workshop they had previously chosen. If a child was very agitated, they were given three warnings and on the third warning they were sent to run to release energy and return calmer.
It was ok if the workshop didn't go exactly as you had thought it would, you could have some objectives in mind but the children themselves are the ones who guide you towards some objectives or others.
After one hour of workshops, a final circle was organised, in which we commented on how the day had gone and we gave them a snack so that those who didn't have many resources could leave the school with their bellies a little full.
Project Location
Project
Climate
Superb
Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
- 2 weeks: €560
- 3 weeks: 630 €.
- 4 weeks: 715 €.
- 6 weeks: 895 €.
- 8 weeks: €1,050
- 10 weeks: €1,220
- 12 weeks: €810*
- Search for the solidarity trip that best fits your profile and interests to provide an enriching beneficial experience for both travellers and NGOs.
- A guide of the project with useful up-to-date information on the status and needs of the project.
- Support during the preparation of your trip: visas, vaccinations, tips for buying your flight, advice on what to visit, essentials to carry in your backpack, practical information (money exchange, transport, timetables, culture, etc.).
- Tumaini coordinator available by email or phone whenever you need to solve all your doubts. Sometimes, if possible, face-to-face meetings are also held.
- Online course on solidarity travel and responsible tourism, mandatory for volunteers to get the most out of their experience.
- Contact, if possible and on request, with volunteers who have already been in the project.
- Contact, if possible and on request, with people who are going to travel on similar dates to chat before the solidarity trip, resolve doubts or organize it together.
- Accident and liability insurance specialized in volunteering.
- Follow-up during the solidarity trip.
- Letter of reference or certificate of solidarity travel/volunteering on request.
- CO2 compensation by planting a tree and monitoring it for three years on the island of Borneo in Indonesia.
- Accommodation in a shared dormitory.
- Transport from Iquitos (airport or hotel) to accommodation.
- Breakfast and dinner
- Local coordinators.
- International ticket
- Travel insurance (compulsory)
- Visa (free of charge for Spanish nationals for stays of less than 90 days)
- Lunch: at the neighbour's bar costs 6 soles (approx. €1.5).
- Extras such as personal excursions, shopping, etc.
- A contribution to Tumaini for the efforts and assistance of the volunteers.
- A contribution to the project for board and lodging.
Services
- Drinking water
- Small gas cooker (with option of wood-burning cooker)
- Airport pick-up
- Rainwater shower
Fernando Moran
I'll take with me the relationship with the children and the neighbours, from whom I have received so much, and from whom I have learned so much.