Steve Howe (London, England): I strongly recommend Horizon Peru to anyone willing to give their time to a worthwhile cause. My 2 month stay here is coming to an end, and I only have good things to say about this place.
Luz and Manuel have been more than ‘hosts’, they have been amazing friends, and for this I am grateful. They will welcome you to the home; just today we shared some of the most delicious food Peru has to offer, and it was all cooked by Luz, the host!
The school itself has an exciting vision; to provide English language skills to the young people of La Esperanza, essential to their life prospects, where nothing of this sort has previously existed. My favourite aspect of working here has been the one-on-one teaching with young people who are enthused about learning English. A highlight for me was when we told a local boy, Yordi, that he could come and have free lessons here. His face lit up, and he now continues to show up (earlier and earlier) for class every week, improving all the time.
Another great thing about Horizon is that you have the freedom to create and teach whatever your skills are. The local school is open to arranging classes for whatever topic, and as a result the local kids benefit even more from having volunteers here. I have helped other volunteers teach music, dance, and even acrobatics.
There’s plenty of free time, and the local area is rich in culture and activities. I have had an incredible experience surfing, playing football, enjoying the fiestas, travelling to other sites of interest, learning how to dance to salsa (like a Gringo) and improving my Spanish.
A few months ago I was the one reading this feedback, wondering whether to travel to Trujillo, Peru, and I would urge anyone finding themselves in the same situation now to do it! steve_howe64@hotmail.com
Samson Rudd (Dunedin, New Zealand): I have just finished a five week stay at Horizon School and it was without a doubt the most incredible experience of my life so far. Manuel and Luz were fantastic hosts and did their utmost to make me feel at home in the Horizon house.
I spent my time here working at the local public school. I had three days a week helping out in high school English classes and two days taking primary school students who had just started learning English. The work, especially the with the primary school students can be very challenging but more importantly it is extremely rewarding.
Other highlights for me include learning to surf at Huanchaco, playing football with Manuel’s mates from church, and playing with Emma their two years old daughter.
My time at Horizon School was life changing and I’d definitely recommend this organization to any prospective volunteers. samson.rudd@gmail.com
Christina Janitz (Berlin-Germany): I arrived back in Germany after a great experience in Horizon School in Peru. The community in La Esperanza is very friendly and as a volunteer you are really a part of the everyday life and participate actively.
Working as a teacher is challenging but in a very positive way. The children who are coming to the house classes are just great, very open and pure. You will love them and they will give you back a lot as well.
Manuel and his family and extremely welcoming, always there for questions, help and, most importantly, a great company. I had the best time with them, they treated me like a true family member. Thinking of them is truly heart-warming for me.
Working for Horizon is a unique learning experience, not just from the teaching aspect but also to learn about South America, a different culture – and to learn about yourself as well. If you volunteer for Horizon School, you will come home and will have changed and improved immensely. I am very glad and thankful for my time in Trujillo. christina.janitz@googlemail.com
Aislinn Cornett (Yukon, Canada): Upon finding Horizon’s website from my home in Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, I knew the school was an absolute match for me. After the warmth Horizon Founder Manuel Silva extended during our e-mail communication from across the world in La Esperenza, Peru, I knew I couldn’t turn away such an amazing volunteer experience.
Arriving in a foreign city with a foreign language was an experience in itself, but short hours after departing Lima and arriving in Trujillo, I felt comfortable and welcomed by the entire Horizon family. Despite knowing very minimal Spanish, Manuel’s family and close friends made every effort to communicate with me. I learned very quickly that although learning Spanish would further my experience, a language barrier doesn’t stop one from connecting with others.
With my poco, poco Espagnol, and the students’ little, little English, we definitely had an interesting time communicating! There were many charades and lots of laughs with the 25-30 students enrolled in classes I helped teach at Horizon School. Teaching alongside other volunteers was a great opportunity, as well. I learned to live and work with these volunteers in an environment which was completely new to us. My time at Horizon School not only gave me the opportunity to connect with students, but also to create bonds with other volunteers from around the world.
What struck me most about my time at Horizon was the way in which everybody accepted me. Here I was, a stranger sauntering into this environment, with very little knowledge of the people and culture and yet, everybody welcomed me with open arms. It amazed me to the core to see the trust students, friends and family around Horizon School had in me. Children I had known for less than 24 hours were holding my hand, leading me around the neighbourhood, allowing me into their lives and trusting my friendship. This felt absolutely amazing beyond words!.
I lost track of how many people I saw in a day, and although life was hugely different from home, I found it beautiful to see the value of family and friends remains unchanged despite where you are in the world. Being immersed in this experience taught me so much, but most of all, that the unknown can be a good thing. I wish I had the time to make a larger impact, but small steps are still steps, and the laughs, memories and relationships I made during my time will always be cherished!
I also now have a much better reason to further my Spanish speaking practice: so the next time I return to visit my friends at Horizon, I will be able to greet them in their language and speak fluently. Thank you for this truly wonderful opportunity! Muchos Gracias! shenzi_c@hotmail.com
Mehmet A. Cetinbas (MAC – from US): I came here on February 16th and leaved on March 9th 2009. I would like to tell you a little about my impressions and my mission here. The night I arrived to Trujillo, Manuel and two of his close friends picked me up from the airport with a lot of smile on their faces. I felt right at home the very minute I met Manuel. He is a warm hearted and very helpful, generous individual. His wife Luz is also very kind.
They put me into their bedroom to sleep while I was in the School/house, Luz went to her mother´s home with 1 year old daughter and Manuel slept on the sofa. I felt so bad about taking their bedroom, but, they insisted and I just could not move to a hotel to stay. I told Manuel he needs more space for the volunteers. He said there is an unfinished 2nd floor but he does not have money to build it up. Since I am a retired Professional Engineer and a Contractor, I told him that I can help him to build the second floor that will add 3 more bedrooms and a large class room or library when finished. He was so excited you could not believe.
I hired a contractor with 3 workers and about to finish the rough work of the second floor. The budget was S/. 15,000 ($5,000 US Dollars) with other additions it went up to S/. 18,300 ($6,100 US Dollars). I figure there will be needs for an additional $8,000-$10,000.to completely finishes the second floor.
Since I depleted my annual contribution to underprivileged, I am planning to raise this money somehow and wondering whether you might be able to assist us to find some volunteers that would take pleasure in helping the underprivileged people here in La Esperanza, one of the poorest neighborhoods of Trujillo. cetinbasm@aol.com
Johan Bergqvist (Sweden): I was volunteering for Horizon School all of November in 2008. I was teaching English in the Horizon House. It was a great experience that I’ll never forget. The kids in La Esperanza are in big need, it could help them a great deal if they learn English. I have some experiences of volunteering before, and I can tell you that Horizon School is a good organization and La Esperanza a great place to work in. I can also recommend Trujillo as a city to live in; it’s located in the north of Peru, at the coast, with some beautiful beaches, surfing and some amazing archeological monuments from different cultures of Peru. johan2408@hotmail.com
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Scott Wagner (U.S.): I was volunteering in Peru making short documentaries for several small volunteer organizations such as Horizon School. While staying at Horizon House in La Esperanza for about a week, I had a very pleasant experience working with one other volunteer and Manuel´s wife Luz teaching English in addition to shooting a short video for Manuel´s program. I would recommend anyone volunteering in Trujillo to volunteer with Horizon School, the children are in desperate need for supplementary education. Trujillo is a beautiful city, and volunteering at Horizon School is a great way to spend a part of your time here. scott.wagner@gmail.com
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Emma and Leigh Hansen (U.S.): We had an amazing experience staying with Manuel and his family at Horizon house in La Esperanza and teaching a few classes at the Horizon School. Manuel is very passionate about helping children to learn English and he is great ambassador for the city of Trujillo. From the moment of our arrival we were treated like family and supported in every aspect of our travels. Anyone who has an opportunity to volunteer at Horizon School will have a great time. eportlock@msn.com
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Steve Lee (U.S.): While volunteering through another organization called Espaanglisch, I was introduced to Manuel Silva; at that time Manuel was just beginning Horizon School and asked if I would help him get a class together. With the help of Espaanglisch, Manuel and I were able to acquire desks and a white board, which allowed us to create a classroom in his house. Once the classroom was furnished, the next step was to find some students to teach. At first it took some time to obtain students from the surrounding area, but Manuel, as always, worked that Peruvian charm and in no time we had our first class. From then on we spent the time in between classes sampling the local cuisine and at times our own concoctions made with ingredients purchased at the nearby markets. Horizon being a grass roots organization allowed for me to experience and get involved with the local community, which led to some moments that I will never forget. slee218@uic.edu
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