Introducing our new volunteer coordinator

In this week’s blog, Julie Neisch tells us how she became HOOP’s new Volunteer Coordinator, and why it’s such an awesome job. I came to Arequipa in November, one month into a 6-month trip around South America. I was immediately drawn to the beauty of the city, the historic white center, the surrounding volcanoes, and … Continue reading Introducing our new volunteer coordinator

The word is out: English is empowerment

Education is pretty important, right? Well, we’re not the only ones who think so. We were lucky to be invited to an event all about Education in Peru – and specifically about the importance of English in the national curriculum. It was organised as part of a partnership between the British Council and Ministry of … Continue reading The word is out: English is empowerment

The story of urban migration in Peru

Most of the HOOP families live in Flora Tristán, a type of community also often defined as an informal settlement, asentamiento humano or pueblo joven. The stories of our families, among many more, are often the stories of migrating to urban areas in the prospect of a better life. In this blog Richie Dean, currently studying a … Continue reading The story of urban migration in Peru

Busy like bees: What it’s like to be a social work intern at HOOP

When I enter the HOOP office at 10am, HOOP’s social worker Silvia Mattiuzzi is already buzzing around. She did five phone calls and arranged three meetings. “So we’re gonna meet the mayor of the municipality to talk about the stray dog problem in Flora Tristán, later we’ll see the psychologist who is working with one … Continue reading Busy like bees: What it’s like to be a social work intern at HOOP

How I died and then hula-hooped on a volcano

It was day one of the record attempt, and our four-wheel-drive car approached the final hill between us and the start of the Chachani hike. When we were within sight of our drop zone, on a steep section of the dusty track, our vehicle had had enough. After three hours of being tossed like a … Continue reading How I died and then hula-hooped on a volcano