Volunteers Peru is a small registered Non-Governmental Organisation based in
the city of Arequipa in southern Peru. We are currently working with two
projects where volunteers can make a positive contribution to the local
community. The first is a home for abandoned girls in Arequipa; the second a
primary and secondary school in the town of Tomepampa near Cotahuasi canyon. We
are committed to assisting the children that we work with to fulfil their
personal and educational needs, and to promoting cultural awareness and mutual
understanding. Volunteering is low cost and both long and short-term
opportunities are available. Both projects are greatly in need of support.
Our Team
Maria Bellido (Marita) – Founder and President: Marita is originally from Tomepampa in the Cotahuasi Canyon and is now living in Arequipa. She began by sending tour groups to Cotahuasi, which is relatively little-visited, especially compared to its better-known neighbour Colca. After a while she began sending volunteers to the Colegio Honofre Benavides School in Tomepampa to support the education of the children there. It is a very rural and remote region, and she saw that volunteers could bring a new perspective to the classroom and give the students some exposure to other cultures that they would struggle to get otherwise. As she now lives in Arequipa, she started to search for a local project in need of help. In November 2013 she made a link with the Casa Hogar Torre Fuerte. Volunteers support the children and the local staff at the Casa Hogar.
Eva Paterson – Project Manager and Volunteer Coordinator: Eva is from the USA and came to Arequipa in February 2014 following the completion of her Master’s Degree in International Development in the UK. She began working with Volunteers Peru as a long-term volunteer and Project Coordinator, and in August 2015 became the Project Manager.
Emilee Aument – Project Coordinator and Volunteer Support: Emilee is from the USA and came to Arequipa in April 2015. She is here as a long-term volunteer after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish. As she has a long term commitment to the projects, she assists the Project Manager and provides extra support to volunteers, particularly at Casa Hogar in Arequipa..
Our Team
Maria Bellido (Marita) – Founder and President: Marita is originally from Tomepampa in the Cotahuasi Canyon and is now living in Arequipa. She began by sending tour groups to Cotahuasi, which is relatively little-visited, especially compared to its better-known neighbour Colca. After a while she began sending volunteers to the Colegio Honofre Benavides School in Tomepampa to support the education of the children there. It is a very rural and remote region, and she saw that volunteers could bring a new perspective to the classroom and give the students some exposure to other cultures that they would struggle to get otherwise. As she now lives in Arequipa, she started to search for a local project in need of help. In November 2013 she made a link with the Casa Hogar Torre Fuerte. Volunteers support the children and the local staff at the Casa Hogar.
Eva Paterson – Project Manager and Volunteer Coordinator: Eva is from the USA and came to Arequipa in February 2014 following the completion of her Master’s Degree in International Development in the UK. She began working with Volunteers Peru as a long-term volunteer and Project Coordinator, and in August 2015 became the Project Manager.
Emilee Aument – Project Coordinator and Volunteer Support: Emilee is from the USA and came to Arequipa in April 2015. She is here as a long-term volunteer after completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish. As she has a long term commitment to the projects, she assists the Project Manager and provides extra support to volunteers, particularly at Casa Hogar in Arequipa..