Volunteering your time to an organization and dedicating some of your time to a cause is one of the most noble and meaningful things a person can do. Whether assisting the poor, taking care of abandoned children or helping communities grow, the simple and generous act of participation is a rewarding experience to both the volunteer and the people they help.

Being that our own volunteer program is only months away we thought it a good idea to highlight why volunteering in Peru is such a special and rewarding experience. Right now there are thousands of volunteers preparing to travel to Peru for the Summer and hundreds of organizations taking applications. Whether volunteering in a coastal city, a small Andean village or in the jungle, the same reasons hold true for all who decide to journey to Peru and help make a difference. [Continue Reading...]

Often I go back to the date of September 13th, 2007 as the birth of the Karikuy Organization, that’s when the original website launched under our previous name of Manchakuy. Since then I have been blogging annually about the organization and the progress we’ve been making with our programs. So you guessed it! this is one of those posts and below you can read about each one of our programs and where they are at right now. You will also read about some new programs and how you can help in achieving our most important goals. So Happy New Year from Karikuy, we see a bright future ahead for the organization, we hope you can join us for the ride! [Continue reading...]

Sitting here in my New York office is unsettling. You see, only days ago I was back in Peru running the organizations volunteer program. However with all the small problems and complications thrown at me, the program in the log run was a huge success.
The Karikuy Volunteer Program has come to an end for 2009 and I find myself back in the United States. Countless adventures has made me used to “movimiento” as Peruvians like to call it, this constant movement and accelerated lifestyle is now but a memory as I settle back into routine and office work. I find myself escaping the boredom of paperwork to reflect on our accomplishments and what the volunteer program meant to all who participated, including myself.
In 2009 the volunteer program was able to [Continue reading...]

The drive was long, slow and for the most part painful.  As mentioned in Andrew’s previous blog it took 16 + hours to arrive to our destination of Arequipa.   When we finally arrived at the city’s bus terminal the owner of the hostel that we would be staying at was there to greet us and to take us back to her lovely abode.  This was an incredibly nice gesture and overall our stay at this place was incredibly pleasant.  If you ever do choose to visit Arequipa I highly recommend the Sol de Oro hostel.  Okay, now that I am done giving free promotional plugs, let me move on…
Arequipa located in Southern Peru is the second largest city in Peru after Lima. It was nicknamed the “White City” because of [Continue reading...]