Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [455]
Anyone who plans to work, attend school or reside in Peru for any length of time must obtain a visa in advance. Do this through the Peruvian embassy or consulate in your home country.
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VOLUNTEERING
General advice for finding volunteer work is to ask at language schools; they usually know of several programs suitable for their students. South American Explorers (SAE) has an online volunteer database and also folders with reports left by foreign volunteers at the SAE clubhouses in Lima (see boxed text, Click here) and Cuzco (Click here).
Both nonprofit and for-profit organizations can arrange volunteer opportunities, if you contact them in advance. These include the following:
Action Without Borders (www.idealist.org) Online database of social work-oriented jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities.
ADRA Perú (Map; 01-712-7700; www.adra.org.pe; Av Angamos Oeste 770, Miraflores, Lima) A development and relief agency with countrywide projects in health, education and agriculture.
Cross-Cultural Solutions (in USA 800-380-4777, in UK 0845-458-2781; www.crossculturalsolutions.org) Educational and social-service projects in Lima and Ayacucho; program fees include professional in-country support.
Earthwatch Institute (in USA 800-776-0188; www.earthwatch.org) Pay to help scientists on archaeological, ecological and other real-life expeditions in the Amazon Basin and the Andes.
Global Crossroad (in USA 866-387-7816, in UK 0800-310-1821; www.globalcrossroad.com) Volunteer, internship and job programs in the Andes. Summer cultural immersion programs for 18- to 29-year-olds include language instruction, homestays, volunteer work and sightseeing.
Global Volunteers (in USA 800-487-1074; www.globalvolunteers.org; 375 E Little Canada Rd, St Paul, MN 55117, USA) Offers short-term volunteer opportunities helping orphans in Lima.
HoPe Foundation (084-24-9885, in the Netherlands 0413-47-3666; www.stichtinghope.org; Casilla 59, Correo Central, Cuzco) Provides educational and healthcare support in the Andes.
Kiya Survivors/Peru Positive Action (1273-721902; www.kiyasurvivors.org; 1 Sussex Rd, Hove BN3 2WD, UK) Organizes two- to six-month volunteer placements for assistant teachers and therapists to work with special-needs children in Cuzco, Urubamba in the Sacred Valley and Máncora on the north coast.
ProWorld Service Corps (in USA 877-429-6754, in UK 018-6559-6289; www.myproworld.org) This highly recommended organization offers two- to 26-week cultural, service and academic experiences, including in the Sacred Valley and the Amazon. It has links with affiliated NGOs throughout Peru and can organize placements for individuals or groups.
Teaching & Projects Abroad (01903-708300; www.teaching-abroad.co.uk; Aldsworth Pde, Goring, Sussex BN12 4TX, UK) For summer, gap-year and career breaks, this UK-based organization has opportunities for community care and English teaching in the Sacred Valley and conservation in the Amazon jungle.
Volunteers for Peace (VFP; 802-259-2759; www.vfp.org; 1034 Tiffany Rd, Belmont, VT 05730, USA) Places volunteers in short-term work-camp programs, usually in Lima or Ayacucho. Program fees are more than reasonable and may be partially paid directly to local communities.
Working Abroad (www.workingabroad.com) Online network of grassroots volunteer opportunities (eg social development, environmental restoration, indigenous rights, traditional art and music) with trip reports from the field.
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WOMEN TRAVELERS
Machismo is alive and well in Latin America. Most female travelers to Peru will experience little more than shouts of mi amor (my love) or an appreciative hiss. If you are fair-skinned with blond hair, however, be prepared to be the center of attention. Peruvian men consider foreign women to have looser morals and be easier sexual conquests than Peruvian