ProWorld - Peru Intern Abroad

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Intern Abroad in Peru

From mysterious Incan marvels in breath-taking mountain communities to modern cities etched with traces of the colonial past, it's the multiple layers of great civilizations that make Peru so fascinating. On planned excursions or on your own, soak it all in as you wander around colonial cities, which have preserved the legacy of the Spanish conquistadors, visit the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, or explore the Sacred Valley of the Incas.

Urubamba

The town of Urubamba is situated next to the voluminous Rio Urubamba in the heart of the sacred valley. This peaceful and intriguing town is surrounded by both historic ruins and snowcapped Andean peaks.

Nearly 18,000 people call Urubamba home and it serves as a central point and major market for the surrounding communities. While there are several indigenous communities that are a short distance away from the town of Urubamba, Urubamba itself offers several comfortable amenities such as hot water, electricity, restaurants, bars, and cafes.

Cusco (Intern Abroad Summer Base)

Cusco is the archaeological capital of the Americas and the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent. Its legacy as the seat of the Inca Empire is readily apparent. Many of the city streets are lined with original Incan stone walls and crowded with Quechua-speaking descendants of the Incas.

The word Cusco is the anglicized spelling of the Quechua word Qosqo. According to Inca mythology, when Manco Capac, the first Inca emperor saw the lush Sacred Valley, he struck a staff into the ground and declared the spot Qosqo which means "navel of the universe".

Intern Abroad with ProPeru

NGO Internship - Our individualized internships strive to match participant skills with our NGO partner's self-determined development goal. Onsite, you will live in communities near a ProPeru office and 4 to 18 other NGO Interns, work alone or in small groups, and receive extensive support from our international staff team and welcoming community partners. Homestays, language study, and cultural/adventure excursions encourage participants' complete immersion and cultural integration into Peruvian life.

Recent ProPeru volunteers have...

Organized an ecotourism business and environmental education in the village of San Isidro de Chicon
Installed over 2000 clean burning stoves in rural homes throughout the Sacred Valley
Directed and participated in public health campaigns about dental health, personal hygiene and parasitic infections
Initiated, planned, and constructed a women and children's family center
Assisted the community of Chichubamba in the creation and promotion of agrotourism

HEALTH PORTFOLIO IN PERU

ProPeru Health Interns work in local clinics, take part in rural outreach programs, collaborate with medical providers to develop and implement health education strategies, and research basic health care issues. You will help improve basic health care at the grass-roots level, where the impact can be the most significant.

Health projects in Peru

Clinical Work
Public Health Education and Research Work
Rural Outreach and Field Clinics

ENVIRONMENT PORTFOLIO IN PERU

In Peru, environmental problems are magnified by communities' direct dependence on their local environment for drinking water, wood for fuel, and land for farming. Environmental damage can have enormous consequences on a community's livelihood; likewise, meeting a growing community's needs can have important implications for the environment.

ProPeru Environmental Interns are leaders in grass-roots efforts to protect the environment, working on projects such as forest conservation, installing efficient clean burning stoves, and developing alternatives to wood as a fuel source. You will also collaborate with various organizations to promote environmental education through projects like river and community town clean-ups, wildlife protection, and habitat management.

Environmental projects in Peru

Conservation & Environmental Protection
Environmental Education
Sustainable Agriculture
Clean burning stove project
Ecotourism

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PORTFOLIO IN PERU

ProPeru host communities face impediments to economic growth, such as limited education, substandard living conditions, high unemployment, increasing populations, unskilled workforces, and a lack of private sector investment.

ProPeru Social and Economic Development Interns work on a wide variety of projects including: classroom education support, small business development, women's center support services, language arts, computer science, physical education for children, and community empowerment.

Social and Economic Development projects in Peru

Community Empowerment
Construction
Education
Gender Equity
Agrotourism
Vocational Center

Excursions
ProPeru offers cultural visits to ruins and archeological sites, local hikes, and mini-projects. Based on duration of program, excursions may include:

Visiting Incan ruins in the Sacred Valley
Visiting Cusco-area Incan Ruins
Participating in remote community cultural events and celebrations
Short term weekend development projects

During free weekends, volunteers can also plan their own adventures

Intensive Language Training Option in Peru
Not exactly sure how to say "coral bleaching" or "dual biopsy" in Spanish? Jump start your internship with our new pre-service Spanish Language Intensive!

Volunteers at our ProPeru site now have the option to sign up for Intensive Spanish classes for 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks to untie their tongue before starting their internships. With five hours per day of Spanish on Mon - Thurs, and three hours on Fridays, volunteers will be on the fast track to fluency. Morning sessions will help you brush up on basic vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure, and conversation. The afternoon session will focus on vocabulary specific to each volunteer's project work (medical, environmental, small business, etc.) Once volunteers have completed their classes, they will start their project work the following Monday.

When you're ready, apply at www.myproworld.org/apply

Conservation Projects

Summer Internships

Replanting Forests

Spring Programs

Now enrolling for Spring and Summer '10!

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“The multifaceted nature of its program (with the project, homestay, excursions, and Spanish classes) sets ProPeru apart from other volunteer organizations." - Leigh

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