BRUCE PERU AREQUIPA - Bruce Arequipa - STREET CHILDREN'S EDUCATION CENTRES - Shanty Schools, JL Bustamante, Arequipa, Peru

.Bruce Peru: 'JL Bustamante' Children's Centre (Arequipa, Peru)
A school for extremely poor children, in the North Cone of Peru´s second city.

The poor women of Las ´´Dalias (an invasion) are eager to have their children educated.

Staffing:(as from mid June.2009)
1-Certified teacher,
1 teaching assistant
(as needed)-
1 part time Director -
1 part ttime project auditor.-
.[ 6 Volunteers: after we find a sponsor for Arequipa Centre ]

Introduction......Videos: 1st Day.I. 2nd Day.... See Also: Photo Album

JL Bustamante CHILDREN'S CENTRE is part of the NGO Bruce Organisation, operating in the city of Arequipa, Peru (also throuout Peru and some other Latin America countries), with the aim of giving aid and support to children from impoverished backgrounds living in and around the area. A team of Peruvian professionals and volunteers provide food, classes and activities to children who would otherwise be in the streets - our mission is to get them educated.

Bruce Peru (JL Bustamante) works at getting all children to attend school and helps with the provision of school materials; it also fosters good relations within the community.

In JL Bustamante itself, part time professionals and a Peruvian teacher work at the project every week day. Children come in for lessons and lunch, remaining at the centre until they are brought up to the standard of education appropriate to their age, and we have them registered in the national curriculum.

One of JL Bustamante 's first Pupils

Many children do not attend school in JL Bustamante, due one or more of three reasons: extreme poverty (even attending free school in Peru costs about $200 a year), abandonment or parental abuse (children of poor parents often are made to work instead of attending school) Our primary goal is to get as many children into school as possible, and this involves encouraging learning, talking to parents and in some cases purchassing uniforms and school books. We have the more general aim of providing children aged between 6 and 12 with fun activities to do in the morning, to keep them occupied, together and away from the streets, and to give extra help to those struggling in school and with learning difficulties.
Who do we need?
We are looking for volunteers to join our organisation who are interested in working with children and (preferably) have some knowledge of Spanish . Volunteers stay for as long as they like – although we ask for a minimum of 1 month – and live in our accommodation.

(When enough volunteers have applied to serve in Arequipa, we will open a volunteer centre

What to expect as a Volunteer:

Your Job at JL Bustamante will involve:

Teaching children
Team working
Sport activities
Recreation activities
Teaching English to adults, evening hours
Promotion work

Street Centre, Gavin Molloy & friends sponsor Bruce EPru centre in La Esperanza to help educate poorest children there.

Very first class ! Finding out-of-school children

To read more about Peru click HERE

and the following will apply):

Accomodation 4 Voolunteers

We ask a fee from our volunteers to keep our work going. The money goes to pay for the bills, meals, and the cost of the social worker, cook and secretary - also to promote the opening of other Children's Centres in Peru. This fee includes accommodation and 3 meals a day, 5 days a week.

On line Application

Besides these activities, we welcome new ideas to make our project most effective for the children. Volunteering at JL Bustamante can be a tiring but immensely rewarding experience. You should be able to cope with big groups of street children demanding a lot of attention and enthusiasm. You will have to be a team worker, working together with Peruvian and international volunteers. In the centre you will be a representative of the project and are expected to be responsible and behave as an example for the children. What you do in your free time outside the centre is up to you.

Volunteering with JL Bustamante is a fantastic way of getting to know Peru, of improving your Spanish, and above all, of interacting with the community and with the children of the city in a positive and helpful way.

The Region:

Arequipa is a city of one million inhabitants, In the "Sierra" or or area. east of the Andes .[more]

Arequipa is the largest city in the Department of the same name, at 2,300 metres above sea level and has a moderatel climate.

Ideal for entertainment and adventure, the department of Arequipa is one of the best places in Peru for both natural and archeological tourist attractions. With the city of Arequipa as your "operating center", you will be in the countries second most popular tourist centre (after Cuzco).

The Programme:

Our centre is located in the section of north Arequipa, and is comprised of an open plan brick building, separated into four tables - for children of differing learning skills.. Children attend the centre from between 8:30 AM and 12:30 PM, (ending with lunch). And one day a week from 3 to 5ÑPM. During the children's time in the centre staff and/or volunteers organise a range of workshops and activities, including art, music, with the main emphasisbeing on reading, writing and maths. Groups are divided up according to age or ability. None of these children go to school, so an important part of our program is teaching them group discipline and study habits. We regularly plan trips outside the centre, to play football and other games. Our international Volunteers, when they come, will not live in the JL Bustamante centre, but rather in our Arequipa homestay accommodation, which is located in a nice part of Arequipa.. JL Bustamante is a 10 minute moto-taxi ride from the cemtre of Arequipa.