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We are looking for someone who can take over coordination of the project. Ideally if you could arrive before the end of June ,to allow enough time to adjust before the current coordinator leaves. (As yet, we have been unable to recruit for this position. There is the possiblity that we cold also consider arrival around the middle of August.

Someone with nursery teaching experience preferred, although the current coordinator is a social worker who has not worked with children before, so enthusiasm and initiative also valued!

This Project has capacity for 10 mothers (we currently have 9 mothers and 9 children enrolled) in setting up a nursery in one of the classrooms at SKIP for their preschool children. Mothers give their time one morning per week to work in the nursery. In return, their child receives free child care for the remaining 4 mornings. Two volunteers will be provided to assist in supervising the children.

The nursery sessions provide an opportunity for the mothers to learn about child development, behaviour management techniques, different kinds of play and healthy eating. We are doing this through a combination of role modelling appropriate behaviour and direct interaction with the mothers, both during the nursery sessions and also in monthly review meetings. The sessions are also an opportunity for the children to benefit from direct, focussed adult attention.

The Nursery Project is not simply about giving free daycare to the mothers, it allows them to be involved in the organisation and implementation of it. The Nursery relies on the participation of the mothers in order to run. Through participating the mothers will be able to improve their financial situation by having more free time available to work in a paid capacity.

SKIP has also found that group work within the community of El Porvenir has been extremely difficult because people do not trust each other and are resistant to the idea. The Nursery Project is bringing a group of 10 mothers together working towards the same goal and will hopefully foster a feeling of community between them.

SKIP believes that education is one of the key routes towards sustainable development. The Nursery Project will educate parents in child development and will help them to understand the importance of stimulation for young children. In conjunction, the children will benefit from experiencing a nurturing and educational environment. Research has suggested that interventions which focus on not only child development, but also in training parents, are the most effective in soliciting long term improvements in child attainment in school and social and behavioural development, indeed some studies have been able to measure differences into adulthood (see our website for links to research)

Finally, it is hoped that through providing alternative daycare, we will be able to alleviate the responsibility that is often placed on older children in families to care for their younger siblings

We have begun writing the curriculum for the programme, which will commence on April 3rd. The current coordinator is a social worker who has not previously worked in a nursery, so we really need people who are able to take a flexible approach to their work and use transferrable skills, rather than specifically being trained in nursery teaching, although this would obviously be ideal. An ability to speak Spanish at a fluent level is required

You will have accommodation provided here, but will need to pay for all other expenses such as food and travel.

Please contact volunteering@skipperu.org with any questions or to request an application form

or visit www.skipperu.org to view more information about the programmes we are running.