Public Health

Our orientation includes activities such as:

• Peruvian Cooking Class
• Latin Dance Lesson
• Archaeological Site Visits (Chan Chan or Huaca de la Luna)
• Sandboarding or Surfing
• Survival Spanish Lesson
• Work Site Visits and Introductions
• Presentation of Traditional Peruvian Dances

Trujillo

Trujillo, home to more than 800,000 people, is the capital of the northern Peruvian coast and is known locally as the capital of eternal spring.  Culture and tradition run through the city’s veins, extending from the region’s rich archaeological history to its well-preserved culinary and cultural traditions.  Trujillanos are proud of their colonial history, which is alive in the Spanish colonial mansions that are still standing in the city’s downtown area.  To this day, locals gather in these luxurious casonas to enjoy their rich cuisine and enjoy their region’s typical dance, the marinera.  Volunteers staying in Trujillo are only a 15-minute bus ride away from some of Peru’s most important historical sites, including the ancient Moche and Chimú administrative and religious centers that predate the Incas by 1500 years.

Although Trujillo receives thousands of tourists a year, the living conditions in the outlying communities of the city are often extremely impoverished and underdeveloped.  Substandard living conditions contribute to the most common health problems seen in local medical facilities, and many medical institutions struggle to provide the communities they serve with basic care.  Clinics are understaffed and underfunded, and as a result, doctors struggle to give patients the comprehensive care and health education they need. Just as the living conditions range from extremely impoverished to luxurious, so does the quality of education.  Children from poorer areas of Trujillo are unable to attend better-funded and higher quality private schools, and the quality of education at public schools is often sub-par, due to large class sizes and a lack of ability to attract talented teachers.  In addition, public schools are largely underfunded, leaving them with the inability to develop quality extracurricular programs, which are powerful resources in helping keep lower-income children off the street and in school.

Vive Peru works hard to make the prices of its volunteer programs as reasonable as possible while maintaining a highly qualified staff and high-quality volunteer opportunities. Volunteer program donations support our staff in Peru and make long-term sustainable projects in the community possible. A portion of volunteer program donations goes directly to support the communities and institutions we work with in Peru.

 Winter & Fall 2024 Programs