I arrived early in Cusco and I felt terrible for waking up all the volunteers at the Seeds of Hope volunteer apartment, as it was only 7:30am. Javier answered the door (a young man from Peru who has been volunteering here for 4 months). I then met Betty who is from America, and has been volunteering here for only a week. Lastly, I met Yuri (the founder of Seeds of Hope), who is a kind young man of only 30 years.

The apartment is so nice and cozy. There is hot water in the shower, and a very comfortable and warm bed. I am sharing a large room with Betty, and there is one bed spare for when the next volunteer arrives. The volunteers here are so friendly, and have made me feel right at home.

I found out that Seeds of Hope is not actually an orphanage, as I had originally thought. It is in fact an after school program for poor children, but some of the kids were orphans and had to find homes with other families.

Yuri first opened Seeds of Hope in Huraz about three years ago, and has only recently opened up the school here in Lima about six months ago. The school in Huraz is much bigger, but I think the school here is so lovely and quaint. It costs 50 centimos (about 20 Australian cents) to get the bus to and from the school.

The classes run for two hours between 3pm and 5pm, and there are about 30 children between the ages of 7 and 14 years. Many of the children here can`t afford to go to school, and so they come here to learn. There is a schedule of the activities, and all of the children seem eager to begin.

Betty sits down and talks to two girls who are early to class. One of the little girls (Jessica) begins to shine a small, pink, toy gun (which is also a light) onto the page where I am  writing, and then into my eye. I proceed to tell her that guns are bad… the girls giggle.

The children begin the class by going over any homework they have from school (if they go). The others are also given activities to complete ranging from maths, Spanish language, history, culture, art and more. Later, they all make their way outside to the tap to wash their hands before eating bananas. Then they are all given their own toothbrushes to clean their teeth, then they pray, and then they leave to go home. Some children stay back and help to sweep and mop the dusty floor.

I will be back there this afternoon to video the children and capture the sort of work that the volunteers are doing to help.

Chickens, kittens, and dogs roam through the Seeds of Hope classroom until one of the volunteers chases them out. I feel like I´m in the middle of nowhere, and yet at the same time I know it´s not far to get anywhere in town. The children are cute, sweet, and absolutely just full of energy! I have loved every single minute of being here.

This has been a truly heart-warming experience, and I have made such great friends with the volunteers in just the little time I have been here. We had an awesome time last night, dancing around and watching a local band play. Betty, I found out, has just graduated from her masters degree in Public Policy, and Yuri used to be a musician, and also teach kids music before he started up Seeds of Hope.

I captured the kids on video yesterday, all playing at the park (as they do every Friday), and I also managed to interview all of the volunteers. The kids were so cute, even though they were jumping all over me when I was trying to rest peacefully on the grass.

Betty says that because there is such a lack of supplies, one day for an art project, the children had to resort to using garbage. They cut out letters from old candy wrappers, chip packets, and whatever else they could find. Yuri confirms he is in great need of books and other educational supplies.

Seeds of Hope started with 4 founders, and now there are 6, and the organisation is in need of volunteers. The nice volunteer flat in Cusco is so convenient as it is located near shops, restaurants, the city centre, and many attractions. It only costs $400US per month (cheaper after 3 months) to volunteer here, and this includes all food, accommodation, and Spanish lessons four times a week.

Volunteers only work about 2 hours in the afternoon each day, and have weekends off. If you want to know what it is like to volunteer here, Seeds of Hope will also put you in touch with other volunteers so you can truly see if this is the right place for you.

If you would like to volunteer at Seeds of Hope, visit the website for more information: www.peruseeds.org

Children Cusco Orphanage Peru Poverty Seeds of Hope Teaching