Picaflor House Volunteer Community Project

The Picaflor House Community Project is located in the village of Oropesa, a 45-minute bus ride from the centre of Cusco, Peru. The project was established by registered UK charity Globalteer in November 2010 to support the children and families of Oropesa and the surrounding villages. The project works closely with the local school in Oropesa to provide the most required services to the children attending the school. To find out more about what we do, visit our What We Do page.

Our Picaflor House children

Many of the children who attend Picaflor House come from the poorer families in the villages we support. They may be orphans or living with extended family or neighbours so their home lives are not always stable. Others come from large families, where both parents have to work to make ends meet and so do not have much time to devote to their children. 

Many of the children come from single parent households, or households where both parents have to work so there is no one home to supervise them after school. Some of our students live away from their immediate families in order to be closer to the local school.

Through necessity, most children in Peru are expected to assume family responsibilities early in their lives. They may have to work in the fields or in the family business, and they are expected to contribute to the daily running of the household. One 11-year-old boy told us recently that he couldn’t come to Picaflor because he had to do the laundry, by hand, for a family of nine. Children are also expected to look after their younger siblings when their parents are busy, and it is not unusual to see a 7 year old caring for a 3 year old. Picaflor House provides the children in Oropesa with the opportunity to simply be children. To see some of the children enjoying life at Picaflor House, visit our gallery.