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What makes this Volunteer Project so very different is that roughly half of the income from their associated Spanish School is used to support Nuevo dia Del Cusco-Peru. Nuevo Dia del Cusco-Peru is a foundation established in 2000 that provides education, food and emotional support for underprivileged children in the Cusco area. The foundation, The Nuevo Dia del Cusco Youth Program, consists of classes and workshops for a group of Peruvian young people who come from backgrounds of extreme poverty.
Very commonly and quite unfortunately, this also means a background of alcoholism and violence.
To enter the university system in Peru, students must take a series of exams that determine whether or not they are to be accepted. The preparation period for the exams is anywhere from three months to three years and requires extensive academic support. Children of middle and upper class families often go to private academies and institutes where they prepare intensively for the exams. The poor in Peru often have no chance to get into the university for the lack of resources. Proficiency in English is one of the prerequisites of the universities that is the hardest to fulfil for many.
Nuevo Dia del Cusco provides our group of young people with daily English classes and weekly workshops to develop self-confidence, self-esteem, and general interpersonal skills. It also provides a safe space for the young people to connect, be supported and have a healthy meal.
