"My volunteer trip to Peru was one of the best times in my life. Its precious and unforgetable! The wonderfull service project at the Amazon Jungle, organized by VOC president Roxana, was awesome. The mission trip was a grande success... and I still remember the smiling faces of the Amazon kids, their tender innocent lives will never forget the time we shared them and the gifts of joy! I hope and wish that I will have the opportunity to do a trip like this every year. God bless Roxana, God bless VOC team member and supporters."

- Raju, Volunteer

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"As a volunteer with VOC, Inc., I have traveled to Peru twice to work in several communities in the Amazon jungle. The first trip, in September 2004, was a fact-finding mission to determine how we could best help the area. We found that there is a great need for education regarding basic hygiene practices as there is little plumbing and most people live off of water drawn from the Amazon River. We also worked with the children of the First Amazon Sinchicuy School Project, teaching them some English and learning about their lives. We were shown the small village of San Juan de Huashalado which hosts a schoolhouse in desperate need of repair.

In my second trip, May-June 2005, I joined a youth group from Florida for the first half of my two weeks. We rebuilt the dilapidated schoolhouse from the ground up, repairing the walls and bringing in materials for a new roof and floor. We built a door for the building which had previously remained open to the elements at all times, and screened in the windows to keep insects out. Though all the work was done without the benefits of electricity or powertools in hot and humid jungle weather, the experience was one of the most fun and rewarding of my life.

The second half of the trip was spent with a group of American doctors. We traveled to the more remote village of Orellana to run a general health clinic. People came from miles away to wait for hours, hoping to see an American doctor. I helped translate for one of the doctors as they treated patient after patient for intestinal worms, infections, skin diseases and other health issues easily handled in the United States- in Peru, most of our patients didn't have access to simple pain killers and fever reducers. As we worked, my made sure to continue emphasizing the necessity of clean water and hand-washing.

Each of my experiences in Peru was difficult and wonderful in different measures, and despite the physical and emotional trials, I would not trade my time there for anything. "

- Volunteer and Board Member