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Who
qualifies
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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 |
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Types of work Available
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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. |
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Cost of Volunteering
(in Euros €)
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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.
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How volunteer money is used
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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:
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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 | | | |
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Teaching Language classes
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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.
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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).
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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 |
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Netherlands |
25 |
| Cuba |
2 |
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New Zealand |
12 |
| Denmark |
6 |
|
Norway |
5 |
| England |
189 |
|
Panama |
5 |
| (Expat) Peru |
5 |
|
Local People |
598 |
| Finland |
2 |
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Scotland |
12 |
| France |
49 |
|
Singapore |
2 |
| Germany |
30 |
|
Spain |
31 |
| Hungary |
2 |
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Swden
|
15
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| Iceland |
1 |
|
Switzerland |
10....
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| India |
1 |
|
U.S.A. |
233. |
| Indonesia |
1 |
|
Wales |
1 |
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Total .1,558
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| 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. | |
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