Louise, volunteered at the Un Lugar Skate Ramp for 4 months
“The skate ramp is a great project created 2 years ago by OCN volunteers in partnership with the Un Lugar Surf School. The ramp is located in a poor area of Huanchaco called El Cerrito de la Virgen. Its aim is to give the children of the area an opportunity to something else than hanging out in the streets. For some of them, being good at skateboarding becomes a serious objective and they come as much as possible to practice. For others, it is just another way to have fun. Being a volunteer at the skate ramp also means to take care of and have fun with the kids who are not skateboarding. As the skate ramp is located on a closed property, my job was to open the place and to get small boards, protections and other games from the office. Then, I would help the children skateboard by giving advice to the experienced ones and holding the hands of the beginners. I also played and talked with the other children there as most of them are not skateboarding. The volunteers also work at making the place look better by organising, cleaning and painting. I really enjoyed the experience. It is great to be there for a long time and get to know the children. They are between 4 and 17 years old, which makes it even more interesting. They are also asking for a lot of attention and we always had a lot of fun. After a while there, the children get to know and trust you. You can’t help but love them really fast! For future volunteers I would recommend having some knowledge of Spanish. A perfect Spanish is not necessary but speaking a bit can really be interesting to create a trusting relationship.”
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Gilda, 19, Holland, volunteered at the Un Lugar Skate Ramp for 2½ weeks:
“At the skate ramp, I would play with the children and help them do their homework. If you would like to volunteer there is no better place than Huanchaco! The location is amazing with the beach and there is a lot of free time. You can decide for yourself if you want to work more or just hang around. You can do salsa, yoga, surfing, learn Spanish, etc. This experience has taught me how to work with kids and improved my Spanish skills. For future volunteers I would say just let go. Enjoy, play with the kids and be crazy.”
Matthias, 29, Belgium, volunteered at the Un Lugar Skate Ramp for 5 months:
“During my time with Otra Cosa, I would work with kids doing surf classes, skateboarding, playing soccer and volleyball. Overall, I was trying to be a role model for the kids. Volunteering with Otra Cosa was very enjoyable. The more input you put in, the more output you get from the kids, and the more experiences you get. From my experience volunteering here, I gained a lot of love. My advice for future volunteers would be to be dedicated, learn Spanish, and find a good balance between your social life and project life.”
Sam, 19, United States, volunteered at the Un Lugar Skate Ramp for 2 months:
“I would describe being at the skate ramp as an enrichment program. I would go to the ramp, play with the kids, help them with their homework, teach them English, and much more. The kids are fantastic and really sweet. Yes, it is hard to bring order at times but the kids always mean well. I have gained so much from this experience. I have learned to challenge myself and to do things I may not be comfortable doing. I have learned that I actually love kids and despite language barriers, you can still find “awesome bros”.”
Fairmail
Anne, volunteered at Fairmail for 4 months
“The fair trade photography project produces greeting cards in Peru. The photos on the cards are taken by underprivileged Peruvian teenagers. This project offers them photography training, part-time work, medical insurance and guidance in making their future plans. The teenagers get 50% of the profits of the sales of their own cards to finance their housing and education. I taught photography to the teenagers two days a week, and every Saturday, it was practice time. This is the moment when the teenagers really take the photos that will be on the postcards. I needed to prepare everything; the trip, get to know the area to which we were going, the theme, the kind of photos we were going to do. It is all about organisation! I really enjoyed my experience. It is a lot of responsibility because you are almost running the project on your own. But I truly loved it. The relationship with the kids is amazing. It couldn’t be better. The children are really cool and want to learn. They have fun, and so did I. Volunteers working at Fairmail definitely need photography skills and good Spanish skills. You only work 3 days a week but there is a lot of preparation. It is a lot of extra time but it is fun. The longer you stay, the better relationship you get with the kids. It’s a great project. A really well-organised project that the kids really enjoy.”
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