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Colombia is suffering from huge numbers of orphaned children whose lives have been disrupted from war, murder, neglect, abuse, poverty and disease.

Contributing to this disproportionate number of orphanages is the fact that in some cases the parents are simply unable to provide for the children or they have been abandoned. Therefore, there is a huge need for volunteers within our orphanages. Not much money and support go into these houses from the government so there are very few people who work there all day and everyday. The majority of the children are not able to go to school so it's vital the volunteers can teach and educate them as much as possible. They could teach anything from English, Math, Sciences, Arts, Music and Physical Education. Some of the children do go to school and they will need help with their homework. Along with teaching, volunteers who work in an orphanage will help with general work and daily chores and will generally work from 8:00 am till 12.00pm or 1.00pm till 4.00pm. Your participation in an orphanage project is not only appreciated by the children but also by the local support who work there. This work ranges from cooking and cleaning, assisting with feeding programs, caring for the children and the babies.

IVHQ PLACEMENT: Asociacion Hogar Ninos Por Un Nuevo Planeta
Located in an underprivileged district in Bogota, this particular project is home to about 150+ children and the majority of them live in the orphanage. The children are of all ages, from new born babies to 18 year olds so the work is varied. You can spend the first hour of your time feeding and tending to the newborns, then move on to entertaining and playing sport with 11 year olds, and finally to teaching English to 15 year olds. These children receive very little education and so there is great need for volunteers here who are willing to teach. They do not need any experience or teaching qualifications just a good sense of humour and a will to educate. In addition to teaching, the volunteer will also spend their time playing games, dancing, drawing, painting and reading with all the children. We will sometimes work in the afternoons and will arrive at the orphanage after 1.00pm so we tend to miss lunch but the volunteer will still need to assist with the feeding of the babies and to help with the snacks for the rest of the children. There is plenty of maintenance work to do also. The volunteer may find themselves painting, washing clothes, sweeping and organizing huge closets for the children. The children here are very cheerful and cheeky so it's constant laughs and giggles as soon as you walk through the door. Amazingly, the orphanage is ran by one lady who speaks fluent English but do not expect an easy ride language wise, she will teach and test you for fun in Spanish only. Importantly, she is always there to point out the work that needs to be done. NB This is only an example placement which is one of many offered by IVHQ in Colombia and not necessarily the one you will be working at.