Details for International Volunteers

Who can volunteer?

We encourage anyone to volunteer as long as you have a bit of commitment and enthusiasm. We accept all professions and don’t discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, religion or sexuality.

Do I need to be able to speak Spanish?

Although it is not part of our selection criteria, we strongly recommend that you have a basic level of Spanish before joining us. This will help you to get the most out of your experience as you will be helping the children read, write, do math and science in Spanish. The children only speak Spanish but they are very patient with the volunteers and love interacting with the volunteers even if the volunteers cannot communicate that well in Spanish! We also work with a great Peruvian Spanish tutor who teaches English in the local public schools in Huaraz. If you are interested in private and very affordable Spanish classes while volunteering with Seeds of Hope we can help you!

How long should I volunteer for?

We have had people volunteer for six months, one month or just a couple of weeks. However, we encourage people to stay for at least one month as you’ll get more out of your time as a volunteer and it gives you and the children sufficient time to get to know each other. We are also happy to have volunteers come for a couple of weeks, although the minimum payment to help us cover the cost of Seeds of Hope School and expenses for the children is the same as for one month.

How much does it cost to volunteer?

We are still such a small NGO and our funding is limited. Much of our annual budget comes from volunteers. We require a 550 soles ( around $210USD depending on the exchange rate) monthly volunteer fee. We also offer the option of a 150 soles ($55USD) weekly volunteer rate. This money goes directly towards the children and operational costs of keeping Seeds running. We do have reduced costs for volunteers who are willing to make a commitment of more than 6 months.

Included in this fee we will help you arrange your accomodation and make your reservations at the hostel that best suits your needs, meet you at the Huaraz bus station, show you around the town, get you settled into your hostel, and make sure you have the best volunteer experience possible at Seeds of Hope! We currently have a Seeds of Hope Volunteer Coordinator, Alex, from the United States living in Huaraz available to help you settle into Huaraz, Peru and Seeds of Hope as well as help you with anything and everything you might need while volunteering and living in Huaraz, Peru!

How much free time is there?

Classes with the children are from 9:30am – 12:00pm and 3:00pm – 6:00pm every weekday.
There are no classes at the weekend, which gives you the opportunity to explore the beautiful Peruvian countryside.

Is travel insurance necessary?

When traveling abroad, travel insurance is always necessary. We strongly advise that you get travel insurance to cover you while you are volunteering, especially for medical cover.

Got more questions? Email us now.