The moment we found out we were coming to Peru was pretty surreal. Despite the thought of leaving our families and friends for 5 months being extremely daunting, we could not wait to start our journey to South America. We never thought we would be afforded such an opportunity and it's not often someone can say at the ages of 18 and 19 that they have spent 5 months living, working and experiencing Peru first hand. We spend months preparing for the trip and come the 28TH February 2013 we began our journey from Manchester Airport.

Neither of us could speak a word of Spanish when we arrived to Peru and it was an overwhelming experience. However, soon after getting to the volunteer house we were on the packed, stuffy and small local bus to Huanchaco, no consideration made for 6 foot tall western women here! Nevertheless, we returned back to the house, ravished with sun burn to spend our first night in the beds which were soon to become our home.

We are both currently studying a BA in Social Work at The University of York and we are doing our first year placement at SKIP. Our main role here is teaching English but we are also involved in communications and photography projects alongside tackling university work. Although everything has been very full on since we arrived, teaching English to a class of up to 35 children has become our new guilty pleasure. The love and effort we receive from each and every child in their own individual ways, have created some of the most profound and special memories for the both of us. During photography class where we took 15 secondary students to the top of 'Cerro Bolongo' which is a huge sand dune at the back end of Alto Trujillo. The bright red face, aching legs and embarrassing shortness of breath was totally worth it for the astonishing views we were able to share with the kids when we got to the top. Whoever said work was boring is so wrong! Next stop, Día del Niño (children's day)...

Completely unsure what to expect from the day, we rolled up to the SKIP office as we do every Saturday morning, in a cramped taxi with about five other volunteers, and a typically miserable driver. However, as we arrived today we were greeted by nearly every primary SKIP child playing with their trompos (wooden spinning tops) which every boy in El Porvenir seems to have mastered the technique of.

The morning began making up endless party bags, and inflating modelling balloons. Chipper as ever though, it was all hands on deck from the SKIP volunteers, who can make a joke out of anything, making the situation in to a game rather than a job. There was a constant whir of noise coming from behind the entrance to the office, a sound of excitement which seemed to grow as the beginning of the party drew closer. The staff began to form a tunnel for the children to pass through on the way in to the party, and the children were released through the huge iron-gate.

The children gathered in the patio, and sat in a large square, and screamed with enthusiasm as the clowns and dancers arrived and the crazy playlist of Peruvian party songs began booming from the speakers. The morning continued with a range of party games, including races to put pegs in volunteer's hair, team races to complete tasks and dancing competitions, all fuelled by sweet prizes! Toward the end of the morning there was a "Hora Loca" (Crazy hour) which we were informed was a big thing at Peruvian parties. The children were doing the limbo and the conga, there was confetti and inflatable balloons creating a mass of colour to complement the laughter from the children that filled the air. However, there is no denying that as much fun was had by the volunteers, who spent the morning dancing and playing with the children.

We have had an amazing time so far with SKIP and we both feel like we have learnt so much about ourselves, other people and their cultures. SKIP has been a truly life changing experience and we have both made friends we hope to stay in contact for the rest of our lives. We are really sad to be leaving, and we hope to return to SKIP again.

How do you sum up Peru in a 2 minute video? Much less capture the life of a teenage girl living out in the impoverished desert district of El Porvenir? Modern social media has made the ancient art of storytelling quick, sharp and snappy. It has also opened up the opportunity for people all over the world to share their stories and talk about their lives, with the possibility to give a voice to communities.

Amy Poehler's 'Smart Girls at the Party' does just this. It uses a youtube format for girls to discuss things they like such as music and gives advice on empowerment and encourages girls to change the world by being themselves.

The project also involves a cultural exchange aspect where girls from around the world create short videos about their lives. The videos are mostly in English and, in general, tell stories from more affluent sectors of society than the SKIP community. When SKIP was approached to create the Peru entry, we couldn't refuse. This was not just as massive fans of 'Parks and Recreation' (Amy Poehler's successful TV sitcom), but also as a great way to promote SKIP's work and raise awareness for issues affecting the community we work with. Click on the photo below to see the video!

SKIP has run photography projects for the last three years. Thanks to the fundraising efforts and arrival of SKIP's newest volunteer recruits, we are now equipped with a set of video cameras, tripods and, mostly importantly, knowhow added into the mix. Under a tight time frame the project took off almost immediately.

First we had to choose the girl to be the subject of the video. Guidelines required they were to be between the ages of 14-21 and, ideally, able to speak in English. After a simple and informal audition process Ruth was chosen and we started the filming. As a long standing member of SKIP, and with a large and involved family, Ruth is a great representative, not only of a young girl living in El Porvenir, but also of a young person making the most of the opportunities provided by SKIP.

Thanks to various scholarships sourced by SKIP, Ruth has been able to study both English and French at language schools in Trujillo. With hopes to one day go to University, she has bright prospects ahead of her. Ruth was fantastic throughout the process, never complaining about long hours of filming in the hot sun and diligently practicing her lines. Ruth helped us to develop a script that truly represented the both the challenges and positive aspects of growing up in El Porvenir.

Through developing participatory media workshops of this nature with the wonderful young people of El Porvenir, it is our hope that we can challenge stereotypes and break down the barriers created by poverty.

Six hours of making cotton candy had coated our faces with pink and purple streaks of sugar and we laughed, looking like we’d just walked out of Willy Wonka’s factory. A few days later, however, our time and the support of the staff of Fox Run School in Canada had paid off; the sale of 400 bags of cotton candy had transformed into video camera equipment shortly en route to SKIP.

Often the word ‘fundraising’ seems like a daunting task for soon-to-be-volunteers and it gets pushed aside in the mad scramble of pre-departure preparations, injections and goodbyes. But it’s important not to sell yourself short; sometimes raising money is as simple as making candy. There are a multitude of grant and funding opportunities available that aren’t as daunting as they seem, some of which are listed on the SKIP website. Do some research and speak to your mentors, find people that will help support your dreams and never be afraid to ask for help. A door will only open if you decide to knock.

With help from our volunteer’s fundraising efforts and the Omprakash network, our Communications team will begin an exciting new semester at SKIP, offering an array of video and photography projects, providing the students with new opportunities to learn and engage with media arts. Keep checking back for links to our work!

In the first week of March, I arrived with the gaggle of new SKIP volunteers. Tired and dusty with travel, we moved slowly through our first week of training, surprised that we’d actually made it to Trujillo. England, Canada, Denmark; these places began to feel far away, the recent memories of leaving home burned off by the heat of the desert and freshly masked with the sounds of a new city.

It’s always strange, the slow realisation that your plane ticket is postmarked for a year from now, that the pictures that quietly collect on your walls are actually yours and that you’ve begun to answer your phone using a different language. It sneaks up on you, this new life. Then one day, you wake up and make your morning coffee without having to think about which drawer you need to open in order to find the spoons, and in that moment, without conscious effort, you’ve made yourself at home. We’re nearing the end of March and this last month has proven that our eyes and hearts have quickly adjusted to volunteer life in Trujillo, and I’m excited to find out what is yet in store.