At the start of the summer holiday in July, 15 Year 12 students embarked on an epic journey to Peru as the penultimate part of their Diploma in International Volunteering. In this, the first year of this course offered at Shiplake, the students studied the culture of Peru, the meaning of Global Citizenship, and explored the skills and traits they would need to be a successful international volunteer. They then had the opportunity to put all of this knowledge into practice during a two-week placement in Taricaya Eco Reserve just two hours outside Puerto Maldonado in Peru, along the Madre De Dios River.
Trip Leader and Co-ordinator of the Diploma here at Shiplake, Mrs Farrell, writes the following:
Getting there was an adventure in itself with a 32-hour journey through four airports, taking three flights, a bus journey, and a two-hour boat trip (in the dark!). There was no rest for the wicked however as upon arrival, the students unloaded the boat up a steep hill, had a quick Peruvian meal, and were straight to bed to get ready for the first day’s work.
Each day, the students were split into groups and set about doing different tasks throughout the day (sometimes starting at 5.00am) all aimed towards the rehabilitation, monitoring, tracking, and care of the indigenous animals and plant life in and around the reserve. Tasks included catching and photographing birds, bats and butterflies, checking pitfall traps for reptiles and rodents, cleaning the cages, and feeding the animals. Cleaning the seeds of the rare Shihuahuaco tree and planting the seedlings was one of the more challenging jobs, but so rewarding as part of the protection of this vital Peruvian species of tree. The students also did some large groups tasks such as clearing the forest with machetes and collecting tonnes of sand from riverside beaches for the man-made turtle nests on the reserve.
Whilst the trip had many highlights, some included meeting the reserve’s wild but friendly Tapir – Ellie - and the night monkey - Tyson - who liked to hang out on our shoulders waiting for feeding time. Moving the turtle pools into the sunshine was hard work but hugely rewarding when seeing the poorly babies begin to thrive in the heat of the midday sun. Climbing the Peruvian Amazon’s longest canopy walkway allowed the pupils to gain an amazing view of the jungle from 42m high and was an excellent place to spot native birds such as vultures and macaws in the wild. Our day long boat trip to Lagos Valencia was another stand out experience where the pupils saw turtles, Caymen, and the hoatzin bird whose ancestors were alive at the same time as the dinosaurs! Jumping into the lake and swimming close to all of these animals was not for the fainthearted, but lots of fun was had by all.
It wasn’t all hard work though as in the break times during the hotter parts of the day, the cries of winners and losers at cards and games could be heard, whilst others sunbathed on the huge hammock over the river, and some just chilled with a movie in the TV room. On one of the Friday evenings, we headed off to another reserve to play a football tournament with some local volunteers. At mealtimes, everyone came together to eat the freshly prepared food which gave us the chance to catch up on everyone’s adventures throughout the day.
The two weeks sped by and by the time it was home time, the whole group – pupils and teachers - left with a wealth of knowledge about the amazing conservations, rehabilitation and educational work the full-time volunteers do at Taricaya. In Peru’s most biodiverse part of the Amazon, there is a huge group of inspiring volunteers committing their lives to the protection of all life there and the students were so lucky to meet just a few of them and learn from their in-depth knowledge and learn some of the skills they use daily in their efforts.
Whist many of them will not miss the cold showers, early wake up calls, or rice for breakfast, there is no doubt that this was a life changing experience for everyone. All the pupils will take away an appreciation of how important service is in the conservation of our planet, and how beneficial the skills needed to be a good Global Citizen will be as they journey through the rest of their lives.
Flickr album: Year 12 Peru 2024 |
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