Tinkuy Peru

This is our last volunteer place.

Tinkuy Peru is an organization run by Tino Leoncio and his family. They live in Huancayo, one of the poorest cities in Peru, located in the Peruvian Andes mountains. The poverty is caused by terrorism in the 1990s, the weak Peruvian economy as well as the low quality of the educational system. Tinkuy Peru works with orphaned children and poor families in different areas of Huancayo. Most of the families live in improvised housing without electicity, gas, water or sanitation. Many of the children there have either lost a parent, have parents who work non-stop and don't have time for them, have to work to help their parents, are malnourished, or are confronted with domestic violence or alcohol abuse.

What Tinkuy Peru tries to do is:
- provide the children with the necessary attention that parents are not able to give
- show the children that people care about them, give them joy and happiness
- provide the children with additional education (with special attention for English, which can be important when tourism grows in Huancayo)
- give the children confidence to be able to create a better future
- decrease the time that children spend in surroundings that can be physically or mentally damaging
- bring the children into contact with many children of their age

Volunteers can work at different locations: at the orphanage, the mountain school or the Andean school. The Andean school is started and operated by the Tinkuy Peru staff and volunteers. The primary goal for this school is to teach local children and adults basic understanding of the English language. The mountain school is for children aged 2 to 14 years. The volunteers can not only teach English here, but also other subjects or entertain the children by singing songs, playing sports and doing excursions with them. The children in the orphanage range from 6 months to 18 years old. Typical work at the orphanage includes English tutoring, help with homework, arts and crafts, sports, games, infant care, counseling, one-on-one mentorship/special care, and facility improvement projects.
All this work should help the children to increase their confidence and educational level and give them a better chance to escape poverty and create a better future for themselves and their community.

For more information, check out the website: http://www.tinkuyperu.com/