Projects Abroad Pro Seeks To Attract Skilled Professionals

March 26, 2010 - PRLog -- January 2010 Flood Left Thousands Homeless and Communities in Need of Rebuilding

Following the recent flooding and landslides in Peru’s Sacred Valley that left entire swathes of crops destroyed and nearly 22,000 people without homes, Projects Abroad Pro has ramped up its recruitment efforts to attract skilled professionals to work in this region. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster Projects Abroad volunteers assisted in handing out emergency food, cleaning a secondary school in Calca, and offering psychological support to the communities of Pisonayniyoq and Qoricancha in Calca, but as the clean-up work continues and rebuilding starts more volunteers are needed.

Projects Abroad Peruvian Director Tim DeWinter welcomes the redoubled efforts to target skilled professionals to strengthen the ongoing relief. “I have seen first-hand the devastation in the Sacred Valley where a number of friends’ houses were swept away by the river or by mudslides. A number of projects we undertook immediately following the disaster focused on providing emotional support and helping families cope with the tragedy. In the coming weeks and months we will now seek to help the many affected families rebuild and get their lives back to normal,” said DeWinter.

Over the coming months, volunteers from Projects Abroad Teaching, Care, and Sports projects in Peru will be able to help out with extra disaster relief. Additionally, Projects Abroad is in need of volunteers with specific skills to help the affected communities. Any volunteers with experience in the following areas are encouraged to apply: civil or agricultural engineering, geology, architecture, psychology, IT, and the aftermath of natural disasters. Volunteers who speak Spanish will be especially helpful with the psychological support work.

Interested volunteers can visit www.projects-abroad-pro.org to fill out an online application. They can apply under "Peru – Disaster Relief" and designate their specific expertise in the Additional Information section of their application, or apply as usual for a Education, Social Work or Medical project in Peru and indicate that they would like to help with the extra Disaster Relief work.

Those unable to volunteer their time but interested in making a donation instead can email Projects Abroad Pro at info@projects-abroad-pro.org or call 1-888-579-1312 and ask to make a donation to the Peru Fund. Projects Abroad Pro guarantees all proceeds will go directly to relief after the floods.

For details on volunteering overseas, visit Projects Abroad Pro’s Web site at www.projects-abroad-pro.org.

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Projects Abroad Pro is the skilled and qualified arm of volunteer organisation of Projects Abroad. Projects Abroad was founded in 1992 by Dr. Peter Slowe, a geography professor, as a program for students to travel and work while on break from full-time study. The program had its genesis in post-communist Romania, where students were given the chance to teach conversational English. After a few years just sending volunteers to Eastern Europe for teaching, the company expanded to sending skilled volunteers around the world on a wide range of projects.

Projects Abroad is a global leader in short-term international volunteer programs with projects in 24 countries and recruitment offices in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Holland, South Africa, Sweden and the United States.