Name: Casa de Bebes

Area: Early Stimulation, Nutrition, Education, Formation, Recreation

Category: Integral Development

Who We Help:

• Children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years of age

• Women-Mothers

• The community and family

Objectives:

• Bring attention to the children between 6 months and 3 years old in areas of extreme poverty.

• Promote and develop, with the parents of the family and the community, a culture of proper child care and upbringing

• Contribute to the personal development and improve the quality of the life of a woman, making it easier to find employment and pursue an education.

Program Description: The poor children of Peru are in a risky situation.  Infant mortality is high, malnutrition is chronic, and children under the age of 3 do not receive the care they need.  Therefore “The National System of Casa de Bebes” was founded. This project was created in response to the low level of care of children under 3 years old and the risk they face, especially those living in poor families. In these Casa de Bebes, Expand Peru has the objective of providing personal support from volunteers for the women working as nannies in these important centers of assistance.

The Casas de Bebes are homes run by a mother of the community where they bring attention to boys and girls between 6 months and 3 years of age. They are implemented in the urban and rural areas all around Peru.

Participating Areas: Expand Peru works with the program Casa de Bebes in the marginal urban areas in the city of Huancayo and in the rural areas of the Mantaro Valley. Each one has completely different characteristics, which is a consequence of geography, culture, and social and economic situation.

How the Casa de Bebes works:

• They function as a house run by a selected caretaker or in a common area.

• One mother caretaker works with eight girls and boys.

• In the Casa de Bebes they offer diet, health, and early stimulation.

Developed activities in the Casa de Bebes:

• Diet that satisfies the basic needs of nutrition and health

• Care, protection, and attention while the parents are working

• Early stimulation: Activities that help in intellectual, physical, and social development

• Healthcare, updated vaccines and evaluation of growth and development.

Work/ Volunteer Activities: The important part of volunteer work in this program is the interaction between you and the children. They need a lot of attention, care, and above all else, love. In each house, a mother takes care of eight children less than three years of age. She needs a lot of help to care for them, play with them, feed them, cleaning, etc.

• Care and protection of the children

• Help with diet and hygiene

• Recreation and games

• Activities to promote their intellectual, physical, and social development as well as early stimulation.

• Development of the children’s motor skills, language, and coordination.

• Development of skills through games, dance, etc.

Characteristics of a Volunteer: For this project the volunteer should be patient with the children. Frequently, those who need the most care and attention are not very receptive and can be difficult to manage. Have patience with the work and enjoy the children.

• Be a person capable of working on a team.

• Be dynamic and have a good sense of humor.

• Be nice and understanding.

Important: All volunteers receive assistance, work materials, accreditation, and certification from our organization.

Requirements:

• Passport

• Minimum age of 18 years old

• Application

• Digital Photograph

Dates: All months

Minimum Length of volunteer work: One month

Work Schedule: At least 4 hours per day

Free time: Volunteers work Monday through Friday and have weekends free to rest, read, visit different tourist attractions in the area, go on excursions, or take one of the courses organized by Expand Peru.

If you would like to donate to this program, please see our donations page under “Helping from Home”.