An internship in a voluntary organisation in the South is a unique experience! You do not only implement and apply your acquired competences in a new (working) environment, you are also immersed in a new country and a new culture, which is an added value as well.
Travelling and the contact with locals, other students and professionals will definitely be a personal enrichment.
Students participate in the day to day events and can work on a project. This project can be demand-driven or the student can give his or her own ideas. In consultation with the university and the supervisor, the feasibility of the project will be examined on the spot.
Oye LENA has Belgian managers on site. The volunteer responsible, together with Stefanie Van Erps, will prepare, supervise, and evaluate the students on the spot (and possibly beforehand by phone, Skype or e-mail).
Projects can create a powerful learning environment with various learning opportunities for students. Being active in the field will provide opportunities to use the following competences:
- Acting methodologically;
- Cooperating in a team;
- Taking initiatives;
- Taking your responsibility;
- Communicating;
- Solving problems;
- Taking the lead.
Students go through the different stages of project management. The student, the university or college, and the supervisor from the organisation decide together on the following:
- Which objectives will be worked at;
- Which steps have to be taken to prepare the project;
- How the project will be implemented on the ground;
- How many hours the students will be working on the ground;
- How the project is going to be evaluated (interim evaluation and final evaluation).
Students have the following competencies:
- Experience in working and playing with children (experience in working with children with disabilities is a plus);
- A basic Spanish.
In addition, volunteers hold the following values in high esteem:
- Oneness & respect for other persons and cultures;
- A positive mentality and patience: make the impossible possible and never give up;
- Creativity & flexibility;
- A strong work ethic & a great eagerness to learn;
- Work as a member of the team.
In a mutual agreement, we set up your daily tasks:
- You give classes in the morning to kids with disability;
- You give classes in the afternoon to little groups of toddlers;
- You help with cleaning and keeping the project in order;
- You help to prepare workshops for the parents;
- You help prepare workshops for the schools in Curahuasi;
- You give classes in the community schools near to Curahuasi once a week;
- You visit monthly an orphanage and play games with the children;
- You help to improve the core functioning of Oye LENA (developing didactic materials, elaborate themes or projects, …);
- You help outside (building, gardening, farming, …);
- You choose to take up a specific task (photography, translation, …);
- You help to prepare special events (Christmas, birthdays, …);
- You help to prepare and guide the monthly siblings day.
In exchange for your hard work, Oye LENA offers:
- A Belgian contact person and 24/7 assistance when present on the project;
- Reception upon arrival on the project;
- Guidance and support during the whole period of volunteering;
- An enriching and unique experience abroad within a safe framework;
- An opportunity to develop your professional skills;
- Immersion in a new language and culture;
- One hour of free Spanish daily (songs, sign language, vocabulary) and optional more Spanish lessons are possible (grammar and talking classes).
Accommodation
You can find your own accommodation in a hostel in Curahuasi or arrange everything through Oye LENA.
Volunteers who arrange their accommodation through Oye LENA can get a room in the volunteerhouse at Casa Lena which 15 minutes from the centre of Curahuasi by foot. There are private rooms and shared rooms.
The bathroom, kitchen and living room are shared. The project takes place in the classrooms on the ground floor of the building.
If friends or family are coming to visit you, they can stay in a hotel in the village or in the Casa Lena B&B. The B&B has three rooms, each with a private bathroom and a shared kitchen and terrace. Volunteers and visitors can also ask Casa Lena for tours in Curahuasi and its surroundings (canyoning, puenting, river tubing, horseback riding and so on).
Take a look at casalenaperu.com for pictures of the building, rooms and surroundings!
Terms and conditions
- Minimum age of 18 years old.
- Volunteers are active on the project for at least four full weeks. That way, Oye LENA can create an optimal climate and a relation of trust with the children. Of course, volunteers have the right to take a holiday, and to stay longer in Curahuasi to make trips from there. Trips and days off are planned by mutual agreement.
- Volunteers should have a basic knowledge of Spanish before they arrive or follow a language course upon arrival (contact the organisation for more information).
Do you want to know more about doing an internship at Oye LENA?
Don’t hesitate to send us an email to contact@oyelena.com and receive our extensive information brochure! You can also take a look at our website, facebookpage (Oye LENA N.G.O.) and Instagrampage (oyelenaperu).
Oye LENA 