Volunteering in Peru

Irazema became part of the Peru team in January 2003. She was born and raised in Cusco and studied Business Administration at the National University of Cusco. She previously worked as a pre-school teacher and later an analyst credit investigator for various financial companies. In her spare time she enjoys reading, watching movies and travelling, as well as meeting and interacting with new people.

Santiago is a tourism student from Cusco. He enjoys interacting with the volunteers, showing them around the city and sharing his culture. Santiago loves sport, especially football, and plays whenever he gets the chance.

Yessika joined Projects Abroad in December 2006 after previously working for an NGO and a bank. She enjoys being able to work with young children as part of her job. In her free time she likes spending time with her family in Cuzco and socialising with the volunteers.

Daniel was a volunteer on the Inca Project for three months from May 2007 before returning in September to join the staff team as our supervisor for the Inca Project. He works with the volunteers on each of the different areas of the project, from community work to excavations and expeditions.

Jessica was born in Arequipa. She has a degree in business administration and finished her masters in project investment. She has more than 14 years’ experience teaching English in different language schools, working with teenagers and children in both Cusco and Lima. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling with her family, meeting new people and exploring places she has never been before.

Stuart is from Cheltenham, England, but has been living and working in Peru since 1998. He studied Biology at Oxford University before getting involved with conservation in the field. After spending several years guiding for eco-lodges in both Peru and Bolivia he set up the Taricaya Lodge on the Madre de Dios river from scratch in 2001. In his spare time Stuart can turn his hand to most sports.

Jhon was born in Huacarpay, a town close to Cusco. He is an archeologist and has worked at many sites in and around the city. Jhon has been with Projects Abroad for over 10 years, and accompanies and assists volunteers during their project. He enjoys exploring Peru, sharing the country’s history and explaining his culture to people.

An ex-gold miner now dedicated to conservation, Fernando administers the day-to-day running of the lodge. He is the longest serving staff member there from the start with Stuart. His English is excellent and his 20 years of experience in the jungle gives him great all round knowledge. His family in Puerto Maldonado runs a small hotel where volunteers usually spend the weekend.

Delsi is an archeologist and has worked at many investigations, including monitoring different archeological sites around Cusco, where she was born. She also worked as an archeologist for the Municipality of Cusco. In her free time she enjoys travelling, getting to know new places, hiking and dancing.

Jenny was born in Lima and moved to Cusco to join Projects Abroad in January 2017. She has studied and worked in Peru, Switzerland and the USA. Jenny is passionate about social work and communication; because of this, she has volunteered in various institutions to support developing communities. Jenny loves spending time at the beach, eating Pachamanca (a traditional Andean dish) and listening to 80s music.

Rachel has been working with Projects Abroad for 8 years and as a trained biologist she has specialised in the field of ornithology. A qualified bird bander Rachel is out in the field a lot collecting data whilst helping with the daily running of the project.

Elvira joined the Projects Abroad team in January 2010. She is originally from Lima, but has been living in Puerto Maldonado for many years now. She knows Taricaya and the local town very well and is happy to assist volunteers on their trips into town. Elvira will be in touch with all Peru Conservation Project volunteers before they arrive and she also meets the volunteers at the Puerto Maldonado airport.

Claudia joined Projects Abroad in October 2013. She was born and raised in Cape Town, where she graduated at Cape Peninsula University of Technology with a National Diploma in Tourism Management. She is passionate about working with and meeting different people from different cultures. In her spare time she enjoys the outdoors, travelling domestically and exploring new places.