Philip, Elizabeth and Jenna are serving in the province of Chanchamayo. This is the gateway to the selva central, Peru’s central rain forest. It is the dry season in the jungle, but there is still enough rain to keep the surrounding hillsides lush and green. The city where the…
Megan, Luke and Dan are volunteering in Tarma, the “Pearl of the Andes.” Also known as the City of Flowers, Tarma is situated in a protected valley on the eastern flank of the highest mountains in the western hemisphere. The sunny climate is conducive to agriculture and flowers are…
Emily volunteers at a Christian primary school perched on a hillside far above the city of Huamanga. The neighborhood of Cuchipampa, “Hog Flats” in the local dialect of Quechua, was recently settled by migrants from the countryside of Ayacucho. Most of the streets are still unpaved and the houses…
Kelly, Nikita and Mary are volunteering in the bustling capital of Ayacucho departmento (state). San Juan de la Frontera de Huamanga, or simply Huamanga, is home to 170,000 people. The city lies in a protected valley some 2,746 meters (9,009 feet) above sea level. Known as the “City of…
Stephen, Michael and Anna are teaching in schools in a humble sector of the capital of the Departamento de Ayacucho (Ayacucho state). The district of San Juan Bautista, named after John the Baptist, is situated on the southeast side of the city and is home to over 38,000 people. At…
Hannah and Kendall are serving in the city of Huanta: Population = 84,000, Elevation = 2,624 meters (8,609 feet) above sea level. The valley where Huanta is situated is unusually green, featuring a wide variety of vegetation and earning it the nickname “Emerald of the Andes.” The climate is sunny…
Whitney demonstrates how to complete the project Whitney and Justin are volunteering at a special needs hospital on the northern coast of Peru. Hogar Clinica Juan de Dios offers medical treatment, physical therapy and educational programs to children diagnosed with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities. The…
The study portion of the Peru Study Service Term came to a close with a despedida (farewell party) for the Lima host families, language instructors and coordinators. The students sang a couple of songs, performed a skit comparing the life of a student in the US to…
Learning comes in many forms. Lectures by Nestor Vergara, Jerry Acosta, Maria Lopez and Father Jeff Klaiber taught us much about living conditions at the edge of Lima, life in Peru during the time of terrorism and the Catholic Church in Latin America. Workshops with Pedro Farias,…
Lima, Peru’s bustling capital, was founded in 1535 by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. He intended to establish a capital accessible to Spanish ships, a place to export the gold and silver he found here as well as bring more Europeans to the region. Pizarro built a city…
