Máncora featured in Lonely Planet
Year-round sun, white sandy beaches and surf-perfect waves put Máncora in Lonely Planet "Best in Travel 2009" publication.
Voluntraveler's Future
We are currently looking to partner with other charities that need trained volunteers and at other regions expand our programs. If you know a charity that would be interested in Voluntraveler's services, please contact us.
For more on life in Mancora visit our blog.
Where we are
Máncora, Peru
Máncora is a small fishing town of around 9,000 people, located in northern Peru on the Pacific coast, just south of the Ecuadorian border.
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Environmental and Economic Hardship
Once one of Peru's most important fishing communities, the town has faced economic hardship in the last 15 years, with the collapse of the fish stocks due to over-fishing, especially by foreign-owned mega-trawlers.
Recent deforestation and intensive land-use combined with devastating El Niños in 1983 and 1998 caused such extensive mudslides that they reshaped the coastline and changed coastal sea currents, buried part of the town (killing some of its inhabitants) and washed away the two bridges, cutting them off from outside contact for weeks. In addition to the human toll of such catastrophes, the additional sediment and mud degraded the aquatic environment further, reducing populations of fish and sea-life even more.
These events have had a catastrophic impact on the the local economy, leading to a sharp rise in unemployment and social problems, such as family violence, alcoholism and drug dependence.
Economic and Social Recovery
Máncora and the surrounding region have recently begun to benefit from the rise of tourism in Peru with adventurous travelers lured by the country's remarkable history, geography and culture. Máncora is blessed with a spectacular beach and one of the best surfing spots in South America. It is only recently been "discovered" by travelers and the number of services for tourists is increasing quickly. Local participation in the emerging tourist economy will help Máncora recover and prosper.
Our Partner in Máncora - Para el Mundo
The primary charity
Voluntraveler works with in
Máncora is Para el Mundo, a local grassroots organization
concerned with providing three types of services to the community: medical, education, and community & social work.
Voluntraveler is the exclusive provider of volunteer services to Para
el Mundo.
For more information on their work and volunteer programs visit www.paraelmundo.org.
To learn more about what our volunteers do, check out our blog.
How to apply »
Toronto, Canada
The head office of Voluntraveler is located here, the largest and most multi-cultural city in Canada. Toronto is where we do most of our fund raising. If you would be interested in volunteering to help with the fund raising for a partner charity, or helping us get the word out to others about the work we do, please contact us.
We will be conducting information sessions in Toronto for interested Voluntraveler applicants periodically throughout the year. Subscribe to our blog to be the first to know about these sessions, as well as our upcoming fund raisers!