I came to Huaraz for the mountains and found Seeds of Hope while looking for Spanish lessons. I became interested in volunteering as well, and Yuri and Isabel encouraged me to give it a try, even though I had basic Spanish and no prior experience. I ended up staying five weeks and am so glad I did — it was an unforgettable and rewarding experience. The kids at Seeds are incredibly welcoming, and saying goodbye was bittersweet. Yuri was also very flexible, so I could still summit mountains during my stay. Seeds is a simple but remarkable charity, making the most out of very limited resources. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend reaching out to Yuri and Isabel — you’ll feel like part of the local community, not just a tourist.

I found seeds of hope online while looking for Spanish classes online. I signed up for 2 weeks of volunteering + Spanish classes, but ended up spending almost a month. The kids are amazing and super sweet. I became very close with them, and almost ended up crying while saying good bye to them. It’s a very rewarding experience, and the initiative of Yuri is amazing! 100% coming back next time I’m in Peru ❤️

We did the group class option with Ethel. Classes were intensive, included a mix of theory, grammar (lots of verbs), and a lot of conversation which gave us practice at both listening and speaking, for example explaining our own cultures to the rest of the group. We also did extra classes with Yuri which included vocabulary required to help the children with their homework, and to prepare us for trekking in the mountains.

Learning Spanish at SoH is much more than learning in a classroom. Ethel is keen to teach about the local culture. She took us to the local fruit and vegetable markets where we bought fruits then tasted them in class. She took us to her school's 60th anniversary celebration parade, to karaoke (in Spanish), to the artisan craft market where she asked one seller to explain his chocolate process to us (good Spanish practice!). Yuri took us on a walk through Huaraz to a cafe that specialises in picarones y ponches.