Volunteer Programme (Volunteer Application Form)

Who qualifies
 Anyone who is positive, works well with others, has something to contribute and possesses a natural affection for the people we are trying to help (poor children and abandoned mothers). Age, sex, race, religion and nationality make no difference. Although it is not part of our entry 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 none of the children and very few of the teachers you will be working with in schools speak English. You will therefore be teaching the children to read, write and do maths in Spanish. The minimum term of volunteering is one month. We welcome any questions you may have......info@bruceorg.org

Types of work Available
Most volunteers come to help as teaching assistants in the classroom; whilst some have teaching experience, most do not. In addition to teachers, Bruce Organisation also needs Project Directors, fundraisers and people with public relations experience. As school finishes for the children in mid-December and does not start again until January we recommend that you time your work with us to take this into account - during the two brief annual breaks the rest of us are busier than ever recruiting and testing new children for the next term (and volunteers are welcome to join in), also our other projects; such as poverty eradication and abandoned pregnant teens often conmtinues as usual. In March there is also a short break between the summer school finishing [remember, seasons are exactly opposite here in the Southern hemisphere] and the longer school session starting (late Feb./early Mar.) when there is no school. During this time teachers go out into the poor areas of the city looking for children who are working but who should be in school. There is plenty of work, just not teaching

Accommodation and food

For photos showing typical accommodation click here
We offer our volunteers accommodation during their stay with us. We also provide three meals a day, five days a week (weekends, holidays and days when we are not preparing meals for children there is no food service). In some centres this does not apply, but in general do not count on food service from 17 December to the beginning of January·(See Note) and for a few days in March (See Note) as there is no school for the children at this time. All international volunteers need to live in the Bruce Organisation centre or in approved accommodation, although some long term volunteers have the option of living in an apartment outside of the Bruce Organisation centre. It is assumed that all volunteers have come to work only with Bruce Organisation and not to take on outside work or assignments.
Note: There is plenty of work going on during these breaks, just not classes for the children - we are busy recruiting for the next term, fitting uniforms, registering children in national school, opening new schools. Volunteers are welcome to join in, just that we have found many use the break to travel.
All volunteers are urged to come with their own travel insurance - here's a firm we recommend.


Cost of Volunteering
(in Euros €)
First 3 months - €360 Euros per month [] Next 3 months - €290 Euros per month [] Thereafter - €150 Euros per month
..[Note: These reduced prices apply only when entire payment is made in advance].
There is no cost to register as a volunteer with us. All volunteers pay €360 per month (or any part of a month) for the first three months, after that the price decreases for those who have paid in advance. We are self sustaining, everyone other is a volunteer and we do not rely on government or institutional support [Note:some Teachers, Psychologists and Social Workers are not volunteers]. Your entire donation should be paid not less than one month before your arrival. If you are a couple and would like a double room (€20 extra per perspn per month) full payment must be made upon notification that a double room is available in the centre you have applied to). Double rooms are available on a first come first serve basis. Half tuition Spanish lessons with an affiliated Language Academy are available to our volunteers.


How volunteer money is used

 The money that Bruce Organisation receives is used to help the children (and sometimes mothers) you will be working with when you join us - any amount which is left after covering your room and board goes toward this. It costs €120 to pay for the first year of a child in our programme - this includes paying for school materials while the child is in our informal school, transport for teachers and volunteers to and from the school, payment of teachers, daily food, medical/clothes/sundry assistance, registration fees when the child is accepted into the national school system, purchasing a uniform, school books and event fees. It costs €55 for their second year of school.

In addition, money from volunteers also helps to pay for the following:

... · Food/drink for the children (sometimes the only food they get that day)

...·· Classroom equipment and books

...· Local teachers are paid staff

...· Salaries for permanent local staff who run the centres eg administrative/secretarial staff and cook

...·· Salaries for local professionals who help the children and their mothers eg social workers, psychologists, health workers, educational specialists.

...· Accommodation and food for volunteers

...· Overheads of running volunteer centres eg rent, electricity and water
The pie chart below gives a breakdown of how the money received from volunteers and from English classes is spent annually:
Bruce Organisation Annual Costs

Kids Parties Spcl. Events
  
Marketing & Legal
 
Overhead & Admin.
 
Medical & Emergency
 
Volu Travel & exp
  
PC, Internet Telephone,
 
  Students & Materials.
  Teachers etc.
  Rent
  Transport
  Food
  Water, Gas, Electricity

Teaching Language classes
 Bruce Organisation also runs English, French and other language classes for local local adults which are taught mostly by volunteers. These are taught during weekday evenings, usually from Monday to Thursday. There are textbooks that volunteers can use to teach the classes as most of the volunteers who come to Bruce Organisation are not qualified language teachers. All volunteers teach 1 or 2 classes a night, each of which lasts an hour. Before you start your volunteer work with Bruce Organisation you may want to look at a grammar book to prepare you for teaching English classes when you arrive.

A typical day in the life of a volunteer

For photos of volunteers in action click here

In the morning volunteers make sandwiches for the children before eating their own breakfast. Volunteers then start teaching with their local teacher. In some cities children come into the centres for lessons, in other cities the schools are located both in the city centre and further away in the barrios (the poorest parts of town). The morning is spent teaching literacy and maths to the children. Some volunteers help generally with all the children in the class, others will have a specific group or child of their own to teach, depending upon the needs of the class. The local teachers decide what the volunteer needs to do within the classroom but often volunteers are left to teach the children for whom they are responsible as they see fit. At least one day a week the children also play sport. At the end of the morning the children have lunch. In some centres volunteers eat lunch with their children, in others they return to the centre to eat with the other volunteers.

During the afternoon, depending on the centre

...· volunteers will do the following
...· More teaching of the children
...· Participating in a Bruce Organisation Club for children already in state school
...· Spanish lessons · Free time

Evening meals are usually ready around 5 or 6pm, after which most volunteers teach English language classes (mostly to young adults and people of low income). Classes last for one hour and run during the evening from 6pm - 9pm. The students of these classes pay a small tuition fee for their lessons which helps to fund our programmes with the children.

Volunteer days will vary slightly according to the centre in which you are volunteering. To read a description of a typical day at each of the centres, go to the ´Centres in Peru´ box at the top of the page and click on the relevant centre from the drop-down menu.


Present and past volunteers at
Bruce Organisation

we normally have between 20 and 45 International Volunteers and 30 to 55 local volunteers serving at any given time
(in spite of the large number of volunteers who have served in our programs, we remain a small organization).
 In fact we are all volunteers; doctors, dentists, three economists, lots of social workers, even more university students (medicine, systems, education, psychology, communication, architecture), cooks, lots and lots of teachers, child minders, psychologists, attorneys, engineers, a biologist, nurses, musicians, artists and laborers. The longest time anyone has volunteered so far is two years. The list below includes former and current volunteers.
Demographics
Austria 4 Ireland 32
Australia 70 Israel 11
Belgium 6 Italy 10
Brazil 8 Japan 25
Canada 102 Korea 2
Chile 1 Lebanon 1
Cornwall 2 Netherlands 25
Cuba 2 New Zealand 12
Denmark 6 Norway 5
England 189 Panama 5
(Expat) Peru 5 Local People 598
Finland 2 Scotland 12
France 49 Singapore 2
Germany 30 Spain 31
Hungary 2  
Swden
15
Iceland 1   Switzerland
10....
India 1   U.S.A. 233.
Indonesia 1   Wales 1
       
Total .1,558
How to volunteer
Begin by filling in the VOLUNTEER APPLICATION FORM and we will respond as soon as possible.
Useful Information Click HERE for useful information before coming to Peru

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

...· Can I choose the centre I work at?
If you have one of our locations in mind, do let us know about your preference in your application. We do our best to accommodate everyone, however some centres may already be booked for the time you wish to come. Also, each volunteer has particular skills and experience which we learn about through the application, and apply to what we know about the needs and opportunities of particular centres. When an applicant is accepted we normally let you know in our first message if you can get into the centre of your choice; or make alternative suggestions in it is already booked. If you are a couple and would like a double room (no extra cost) full payment must be made upon notification that a double room is available in the centre you have applied to, for the dates you have requested. Double rooms are available on a first come first serve basis

...· Is there a minimum length of stay?
Usually 1 month. [There is no maximum stay - the recod stay so far is 6 yrs. 6 months]

...· What type of accommodation is provided/how many people share a room?
Accommodation ranges from dormitory style (4 to 6 people) to individual rooms for long-term volunteers and couples. Photos of accommodation can be seen by viewing the relevant Bruce Organisation Centre pages.

...· What hours do people work including evening teaching?
Volunteers work on average a 6-7 hour day excluding preparation time for the lessons with the children and for their English classes in the evening.

...· Are there breaks allowed for longer term volunteers?
Breaks are allowed for longer term volunteers but we would ask volunteers to give as much notice as possible so that we can plan in advance how to cover your work while you are away.

...· How do you renew your visa if you stay longer than 3 months?
After 3 months you have 2 options. You can either leave the country and re-enter (sometimes in the same day) to gain a visa for a further 3 months. Alternatively you can extend your visa for 1 month at a cost of €20 plus 26 soles administration fee. You can pay to extend your visa twice but after that you must leave the country and re-enter to renew your visa.

...· Is there an Information Pack available to volunteers before they arrive to help prepare them for their work with Bruce Organisation?
Yes. When an applicant has been sellectd we give you a web address where you can read or download the Welcome Pack for the centre where you will be serving.

Finding out more  If you would like to speak to a current or ex-volunteer of Bruce Organisation then please email us at: info@bruceorg.org and a volunteer will contact you. If you are interested in speaking to someone in particular eg male/female, a volunteer at a particular Bruce Organisation centre, particular nationality etc, please let us know in your email.