We welcome applicants from these or any other areas of study relevant to sustainable community development projects, and welcome applications from students on internships/placements and people from diverse backgrounds.

Contact Us: To offer your time and experience, for more information about volunteer opportunities and to request an application, please e-mail us at info@paraelmundo.org.

Volunteers can participate in one of all of the following programs:

• Medical Programs - PaM's most significant community health program is the Community Health Clinic. The clinic sees approximately 50 - 70 patients weekly and the volunteer team includes both international and local volunteers. The program is focused on making basic primary health care accessible to all community members, regardless of the socioeconomic barriers in place. PaM works in partnership with existing social infrastructure in delivering health care to the community, and a large part of the work involves teaching and training local volunteers.

Volunteers possibilities in this area include:

• Providing primary care and health information to patients and families during regular clinic hours
• Visiting patients in their homes to provide health information or basic health care
• Meeting with local community representatives to discuss ongoing initiatives
• Teaching a variety of healthcare topics, through organizing small workshops for specific target groups, or by teaching in local schools.
• Teaching First Aid skills

• Social Programs - PaM's social programs largely focus on women and their children in Máncora and the challenges they face.

Past initiatives include:

• Working with local women to organize social groups (for example, for artisans, single mothers, young women, women with mental health issues, etc.) to help minimize social isolation;
• Working with local women to create small business plans;
• Teaching Self-defense and self-esteem workshops to young women;
• Organizing small group workshops on for women on life skills such as banking, the legal system and the legal rights of women and children in Peru, social infrastructure for women (emergency centers, shelters,etc.) in Peru and how to access it;
• Women-only English classes where children are welcome;
• Sexual Health and women's-only days at the clinic.

Volunteers are welcome to join in on existing programs or to start new initiatives, depending on current community need and the volunteers particular interests.

• Educational Programs - In addition to the educational initiatives through the Medical and Social Programs, PaM also teaches English in the community, and supports a local school in various subjects.

PaM works closely with the local elementary and high school, I.E. Alberto Pallete, providing teaching assistants for various subjects, like math, science, and English. PaM volunteers can decide which grades they want to work with and how many hours will be spent in the classroom. PaM encourages volunteers with specialty knowledge (for example, math or sexual health education) to work not only with students, but also with local teachers and parents. This helps build the community's teaching capacity.

Living Arrangements for Volunteers in Máncora

Most volunteers stay in the main space, which consists of two adjoining 4-bedroom houses. Each house has its own kitchen and bathroom with shower. Volunteers do not have to share rooms, but may request to do so. Cooking and house cleaning are shared responsibilities between all volunteers. The main space has high-speed wireless internet (volunteers are expected to bring their own computers if they feel they will need one), a colour printer, a phone for local and international calls, and electricity. Bedding and towels are provided, and the house also has 2 surfboards and a boogie board, plus board games and a table tennis set.

Volunteers can also request to stay with a local family or at a hostel or hotel in Máncora. Please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

IMPORTANT: PaM highly recommends that volunteers have a minimum of an intermediate level of Spanish.

PaM welcomes volunteers from anywhere in the world, and we value diversity. We welcome volunteers who represent different language and cultural groups, people of color, women, the LGBT community, people from North America's First Nations, and everyone else.

COST - $150 USD* per week, per volunteer.

* Please note that costs are per month, in U.S. dollars, and based on a volunteer staying in a single room in the main space.

What's included:

• Rent (Private room)
• Utilities: 24 hr running water; electricity
• House phone
• High-speed wireless internet
• All meals and household goods (for example, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc.)
• Any costs related to the PaM program you are volunteering with

What's not included:

• Flight/travel costs to Máncora (See below for more details)
• Laundry (volunteers can hand wash at the house, or pay 4 soles per Kilo of laundry for a wash and dry service)
• Surfing Lessons ($10USD per hour private lesson)
• Spanish Lessons (All levels, 10 soles per hour private lesson)
• Eating out
• Additional travel or other entertainment activities

Please Note: Transportation costs to and from Máncora are not included. However, PaM Volunteer Coordinators will help you decide which travel options work best for you, and will assist you in making all the necessary reservations.

Here is a list of travel options and the approximate costs. Schedules, fares and availability change often.

Buses

• Bus to Máncora from Lima- 130 soles or $40.12 USD (one-way)
• Bus to Máncora from Guayaquil - 64.80 soles or $20 USD (one-way)

Flights

• Flight Lima to Tumbes - 324 soles or $100 USD (one-way)
• Flight Lima to Talara - 291.60 soles or $90 USD (one-way)
• Flight Lima to Piura - 421.28 soles or $130 USD (one-way)

Taxis

• Airport pick-up in Lima (to Miraflores) - 32.40 soles or $10 USD
• Airport pick-up in Tumbes (to Máncora) - 100 soles or $31 USD
• Airport pick-up in Talara (to Máncora) - 80 soles or $24.80 USD
• Airport pick-up in Piura (to Máncora) - 200 soles or $62 USD
• Airport to hotel in Guayaquil - 16.20 soles or $5 USD

Hotels / hostels

• One night hotel (Hotel San Antonio Abad, Miraflores) in Lima - 129.62 soles or $40 USD (includes airport pick-up).
• One night hostal in Lima (Hostal San Luis, Miraflores) in Lima - 32.40 soles or $10 USD
• One night hotel in Guayaquil (Hotel Alexander) - 97.20 soles or $30 USD

Please contact us regarding assistance with itinerary and both volunteering and tourism travel planning. PaM representatives are able to meet our volunteers at airports, assist with travel to hotels and to the volunteer accomadation in Máncora.

Stories and Photos from Participants

Section under construction, coming soon...

See also photography from PaM volunteers in the gallery section: Snapshots of PaM Volunteer Life.

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