Humanitarian Volunteering in the Peruvian Andes

Organization Name: The Minka Project
Contact: minkavolunteer@gmail.com
Website: The Minka Project

Tell Us About Your Organization

Small local non-profit organization, helps improve the quality of life of people and populations in the central Andes of Peru in situations of extreme poverty, we work in areas of educational support for Andean children and families, empowerment of women and formation of self-help groups, in addition to promoting authentic direct social work and cultural exchange with the communities in which we work.

Location

Las totoritas 8346 El Tambo – Huancayo, Junin- Peru

Vision and Long Term Objective

We work directly with communities in the Central Andes that face severe poverty, neglect, and discrimination as immigrants or of indigenous heritage. With a special emphasis on elevating women and children, the Minka Project works to strengthen these communities in order to restore dignity and wellbeing. We do this through education, business opportunities, food access, and social and cultural empowerment.

How Can People Help/Volunteer With You?

We work with volunteers who participate and collaborate directly with the populations and communities in which we carry out our social work, therefore we need motivated volunteers who work helping our small alternative school with children, who help with homework, teaching ecology or languages, who participate in the support of women’s groups, helping in their organization, in addition to empowering Andean women in many issues such as empowerment, human rights, fight against domestic and socio-cultural violence, support in training of micro businesses among others, in terms of work with the community we support the improvement of houses and their living spaces, for example in the construction of ecological kitchens.

What Makes You The Proudest About Your Organization?

Since our work has been going on for more than 10 years working directly and in continuous coordination with our communities and target populations, we have many ecological kitchens, helping hundreds of Andean children in poverty with alternative, ecological education and with respect for the native culture. extreme, in addition to organizing dozens of female self-help groups, the latter helps to improve their family finances, nutrition and health and provide good habits in the fight and control of gender violence. in addition to providing legitimate social work to our participants and carrying out a real and effective socio-cultural immersion in our communities and Andean world in general.