April 2012
Viktoria Frid
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I cooperated with SKIP during my thesis work in the fall of 2011, and I had a great experience working with them!
SKIP is an awesome NGO, really doing a difference in the lives of impoverished families in El Porvenir, outside of Trujillo in Northern Peru. It is a well-run organization managed in an effective way, and more than anything it is transparent. It is obvious to see where the organization spends its money and how, and the positive effects of SKIP's work are apparent.
As a volunteer you really get to know the Peruvian way of life, and learn about the difficulties that many Peruvians are facing on a daily basis. You also get to develop new skills and interact with other people from all over the world. What I really like about SKIP is that it might be small-scale, but what they do is high-quality. If you want to learn about development work and how it works hands on, SKIP is a great opportunity.
All in all it is a great experience that I recommend to everyone interested in doing volunteering that really makes a difference!
July 2012
Lizette R
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life changing (excuse the cliche, but it's true). loved the whole experience
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At SKIP I had many opportunities to choose from and was able to volunteer in various programs. This included teaching English, coordinating the summer camp, creating the nursery program, and other general help here and there. In my 10 months with SKIP, I was very impressed to see the quality of volunteers who came with a passion for helping other people and commitment to the work they did while with the organization. I was also very impressed by the director of the program and felt this made a huge impact on my experience at SKIP. Liz who is currently directing the program is very professional, well organized, ethical, has great judgment, commitment, business acumen and integrity. She is also very reliable, easy to get along with, approachable, motivating, and supportive.
Working in the Nursery Program was the highlight of my experience with SKIP. Because the program works on so many levels the experience was incredibly enriching and well-rounded. I gained experience in developing and coordinating a new program, teaching, lesson planning, child development, and parenting skills (which I can definitely benefit in my personal life as well when the time comes!). All the while the fluidity of my Spanish improving faster than it had before. Meanwhile learning all of these skills, I was having the funnest time singing nursery rhymes, dancing around the room, playing musical chairs, hula hooping, running around on one foot with a book on my head, somersaulting, being goofy, and who doesn't love playing with bubbles?
The kids are absolutely adorable. One of my favorite moments (as there were so many!) was when one of my nursery kids came up to me, tapped my arm and said "Oops!" This is a phrase I tend to say often and this was just incredibly endearing as it was an example of the impact I was making on these children. They were learning my own quirky behaviors and sayings! It was comedy every day at the nursery. Another impressive moment was when reviewing the names of colors. The toddlers were not only remembering the colors, but they were saying them in English as well. I really felt I was making a positive impact and with this age group you will see it almost instantly. The mothers were wonderful to work with as well. Initially, some were shy, but as they gained confidence in participating in the nursery, they were coloring, playing tail tag, and doing relay-racing along with the rest of us. And, of course, the SKIP Director and other volunteers were there every step of the way for support and assistance.
I have such wonderful, happy memories from working in the nursery, when I see pictures I automatically smile and remember. It was very difficult for me to leave on my last day there. I fell in love with the mothers and children in the nursery and they hold a special place in my heart.
June 2012
Shanny Rae
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The people were wondeful to work with, the time spent with the kids was life-changing, and the overall experience was just so eye-opening... I would definitely do it all again.
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Sometimes making a difference is more effective when it isn't about something tangible (like building or putting something together) but rather seeing the hope in someone's eyes ignite again or bringing smiles to faces that hadn't found time in so long to laugh (-working with the mother's of the SKIP children)
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We were given an itinerary for each day we worked with SKIP and it was very helpful, almost always entirely accurate.
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The hostals we stayed in were clean and well kept. They also were very close to the SKIP volunteer house.
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I never once felt unsafe with SKIP. The blue vests they wore were recognized by the entire community and therefore we were seen as respected and basically looked-out for whenever we walked around town in them.
It was a very eye-opening and life-changing experience for myself and the team I came to work with. Not only were we able to have hands-on play time with the kids, we were also able to teach them english and help refurbish their working/classroom space. We held a grand party for the mother's of the SKIP children for mother's day and were able to really see the hope we could bring by just simply spending time with the families. Working with the SKIP volunteers who had already been there for a time was an exciting part of the experience as well. I was able to learn a lot and gain quite a bit of insight about Peru and the society there as well as learn more about the volunteers themselves and why they chose to work with SKIP.
Overall, I made great friends, have great memories, and gained a new perspective on life all together from this trip and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in assisting those in need of help.
July 2012
Ryan Nemethy
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SKIP is a wonderful organization that has a holistic approach to a child's education. They approach a child's life from all angles by working with his/her family and having a presence within the community.
I was only working with SKIP for a short time so unfortunately I could not teach everyday in the classroom but I helped remodel the SKIP office where kids come for after school english programs. The facilities are nice and the people were very welcoming. I felt apart of the SKIP "team" within hours of being there.
August 2012
Brice Bambara
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September 2012
Ricky Shah
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SKIP is a great example of a charity set out to make a lasting difference in the wider communities. I enjoyed teaching my students a lot, in the public schools associated with skip and at the skip office.
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You can see after a few weeks of being there, your time there has not gone to waste and you can see your students learning more every lesson.
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Having a volunteer house is a good way of having good communication flows.
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The volunteer house is a fun place to be. And is good for a 'volunteer house'.
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The training I received at the start of the time with SKIP prior to teaching was remarkably good and an invaluable experience. It taught me how important the children are and should be to us volunteers. I loved teaching the children. At first it was quite a daunting idea teaching Peruvian - spanish-speaking - children, but i had no reason to I soon found out. I had a great teaching partner, we planned together and it was a challenging task to make our lessons fun and enjoyable but most importantly to teach our students which was the most rewarding part of teaching children. The volunteer house was great and I recommend staying there. A lot of fun was had there. I hope to return one day to SKIP.
November 2012
Kirby Landers
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Wonderful volunteers, helpful coordinators and direct positive impact on the community
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Living with the other volunteers made it a very supportive and creative enviroment
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El Porvenir can be a dangerous place, but the SKIP organization kept all the volunteers safe in the volunteer house and at work.
"I had the most incredible experience working with SKIP! While it was very challenging, the support team and community in El Porvenir made it very rewarding. I woke up every morning excited to get to work and was continuously surprised how much I learned on a daily basis. While the coordinators have set curriculum, input from volunteers was always welcomed, allowing for everyone to contribute to the success of SKIP and improve the organization! I loved my time, and had the opportunity to work with the most incredible people! The only regret I have is not staying longer." -Kirby Landers
April 2013
Kristen McCollum
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SKIP has a great community of volunteers from all over the world. The work is big enough to fulfill many needs for the families, but small enough to focus on making an impact.
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I felt like I was trained well and trusted with many responsibilities.
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The volunteer house is an adventure. With so many people from all over the world, there is never a dull moment. It feels a bit cramped at times, with 20 people living in the same house, but volunteers are expected to share chores to keep the rooms and kitchen clean.
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Trujillo, as a big city, does have crime. But with my work directly related to SKIP, I always felt that I was safe.
I have been interested in international community development work for quite a while, so when I graduated from university, I wanted to get some experience in that type of work. I was interested in SKIP because it was a multifaceted organization -- it not only works in education but also supports its families by providing economic development, social work, and psychology programs. It seemed like a great place to be able to learn about the many ways families living in poverty can receive support.
As a volunteer coordinator, much of my work involved liaising with volunteers before their arrival, and supporting them while they were here. I enjoyed this job, because it allowed me to not only build relationships with people from all parts of the world, but also to see how an international NGO functions "behind the scenes." I spent a portion of my time working in the women's productive workshops, and was blessed to have met some of the strongest, most spunky women I have ever met in my life. Just to share a space with them while they knit or made jewelry made me feel like I had a really genuine, small peek into the everyday lives of these women. I also spent some time teaching mathematics to secondary aged students, and although math is not always the most exciting thing for teenagers, I can honestly say that we had a good time and learned from each other.
The work is sometimes really difficult, and the environment hectic. I don't want to fool anyone into thinking that doing community work for an impoverished area is easy or always fun. It takes a lot of administrative work. And it will be frustrating when a kid doesn't know how to reduce a fraction, and disappointing when a mom's product never sells in the local shops. But I have learned a lot, and am coming back from this country a much more confident, capable person, with much more valuable experience than I could ever have expected to gain. Plus, sharing a house with so many other international volunteers has allowed me to make friends from all over the world, have some great laughs, and really enjoy my stay in Trujillo. I would recommend this experience to anyone.
