Former bruceperu volunteer Elizabeth Saunders writes...
My husband and I (both 36 yrs old) decided to quit jobs in the
US and do volunteer work for up to 6 months in South America. We
found Bruce and chose his organization for several reasons:
the daily work was clearly hands-on and direct-impact for the
community, we would have a lot of responsibility, it was
low-cost and there were several locations in Peru to choose from.
We became volunteer directors for 6 months between Oct 2004 and
March 2005, 3 months in Huaraz and 3 months in Cusco.
During our 6 months with Bruce Peru, along with Peruvian and other
foreign volunteers, we helped many poor children achieve the
opportunity at an education. This is something no other NGO is doing
-- none that we came across anyway. Many NGO's do important work in
the areas of education, nutrition, housing, etc. But we did
not encounter any that worked directly with children NOT in school.
Through Bruce's efforts volunteers teach, provide love and attention
and source important social services for children who have no
means of obtaining this attention otherwise.
There are many questions potential volunteers usually ask. For
instance - What are the daily responsibilities? How much do I have
to pay to participate? Can I see where my money is going?
As far as seeing where your money goes - Bruce asks only a $290
monthly donation for the first 3 months. After that the
donation goes down. In return for your donation and your time you
receive lodging and food and free spanish lessons. All you have to
do is spend a few days in one of the centers to see where your
money is going. Many children who are not in school are receiving
love, attention, education and food from Bruce Peru volunteers. Many
of those children will enter school for the first time or re-enter
school thanks to the help of Bruce Peru volunteers and social
workers.
The volunteer experience depends on many factors, including the
maturity of the volunteer. I would say that the work at Bruce Peru
requires a very mature person. Someone looking for a low-cost
opportunity and who is interested in "doing some good" and having a
lot of fun is not necessarily the right person. The Bruce Peru
centers are essentially 100% run by volunteers. Bruce works closely
with the directors and volunteers however he also gives them a LOT
of room to manage in his/her own style and to take the organization
to the next level. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.
Depends on the volunteers.
We are aware that there are some volunteers who were not satisfied
with their experiences. We did not work with them, however. We can
only imagine that sometimes people have expectations and the reality
differs from those. For us, this did not happen. We researched the
organization, we met Bruce and we understood the work -- what was
working well and what needed to improve. During our time with
Bruce Peru we saw children receive great benefits; in fact, we
visited both Huaraz and Cusco a few months after our departure and
were thrilled to see the centers thriving!
Both my husband and I feel very positive about our experience with
Bruce Peru. If you have looked around the website you have certainly
seen our faces and our comments. What more to say?
We wish Bruce and all the volunteers the best of luck to continue
providing this valuable service to the children of Peru.
