Are you looking for a new kind of experience that can add something special to your life?
Are you open-minded and respect other people and cultures?
Are you interested in finding out how it is to experience another culture from real close, without running into large tourist crowds?
Are you prepared to share some of yourself with others to make exchange possible?
Can you adapt yourself to basic living conditions and do you enjoy physical exercise?
Do you want to show your preparedness as an outsider to lend a helping hand?
Intercambioperu organizes three main kinds of activities:
1. Language courses or lessons
2. Visits to special sites
3. Voluntary work in remote villages with Andean communities
Language course or lessons
We arrange Spanish or Quechua lessons taught by a native speaker. The course or lessons are set up to be very practical and you will have to do your “homework” going around the town of Lircay, working out your assignments together with the locals.
You are expected to attend lessons for about 4 hours a day and besides will have to work out some daily assignments. We hope that participants speak a few words of Spanish and get started before they arrive in Lircay, however the level of the course is adaptable. People who already speak (better) Spanish obviously can make themselves useful assisting others.
Visits to special sites
Culturally speaking, the area of Lircay is extremely versatile and special. A lot of the Andean communities still maintain a strongly communal way of life where the traditional authorities like the Varayocc still form part of daily life. These societies often maintain very strong relationships with mother earth which is expressed in different ways. Mountains play an important role in this and it is intriguing to learn about the unique customs of making offerings to the sacred mountains. If dealt with delicately it is possible to visit one of these special sites, with the company of local guides. The visit includes a hike of approximately 2 days including a night’s stay at an altitude of 5000 meters at the foot of Tambraico, and is truly an unforgettable experience.
Voluntary work in remote villages with Andean communities
After acclimatizing in the town of Lircay it is time to get to work. Although there are a number of partner organizations that we work with, PRONAMACHCS is the most important, providing an ongoing opportunity for volunteers to work closely together with the Comunidades Campesinas under supervision of qualified extension workers of PRONAMACHCS. During the work you get the opportunity to visit some truly unique places and meet fascinating people that are just as interested in you as you are in them.
PRONAMACHCS is specialized in various environmental protection projects like reforestation, construction of infiltration canals etc.
Besides, there is almost always the possibility to work with other organizations in other projects as well, like the construction of schools, small irrigation systems, agricultural activities etc.