We have a range of challenging yet exciting and worthwhile projects in Mendoza. All are located within an easy and cheap bus ride from the centre of the city.

In all cases you will require confidence with your spoken Spanish. We will help you with this but it is important to remain open minded, flexible and willing to learn.

On arrival to Mendoza you will visit all of the projects to give you a better insight in to the amazing work that is going on there.

It is possible to combine these placements as well although chopping and changing throughout your time will be frustrating for both your hosts and yourself so discuss this with Jose the Changing Worlds representative.

Some of the placements require more specialist help than others and for this reason try to be as open minded as you can. For example the help they require working with the premature babies is very specialist as you do need at least some experience of working with babies in the past. At the other end of the spectrum the work at the zoo is very general and anyone is welcome to help. Of course you can ‘mix and match’ with this in mind.

Our placement opportunities include:

• Working in a kindergarten with disadvantaged children many of whom are orphaned. You work as a teaching assistant with small classes – the children are aged between one and four. The kindergarten has limited teaching resources so you need to be able to think on your feet!

• Supporting the families of pre-mature babies (29 weeks or less). Skills with human resource management (helping build bridges between the mothers and the hospital) would be most useful. This is a specialist placement that does require volunteers with substantial practical experience of working with the very small ones!

• Assisting with an HIV/AIDS counselling and awareness raising in the local poorer communities. This offers the opportunity to work in schools to introduce the concept of healthy living through sport and diet. The organisation is also keen to get help with legal issues regarding the changing status of HIV/AIDS in Argentina. This project requires volunteers who are committed to the social welfare of the patients and to be open minded.

• Working as an assistant curator in a modern art museum in Mendoza. This would be of interest to volunteers who enjoy their art and design. The museum co-ordinates a weekly children’s day that encourages the local kids to take an active interest in these subjects through things like puppetry and dance. You would work side by side with a team of specialists.

• Assisting on an active youth co-ordination scheme in the poorer districts of Mendoza. On leaving school children and young adults are uncertain of their future options and they are looking to get in to schools to talk to the kids about ways forward. They propose to do this through counselling individuals, presentations to schools, talks to parents and aiding families. Volunteers would be involved in all aspects of this project where they work as part of a team. You need to be flexible and not shy. If you enjoy art, drama, music or sport these skills would be well received. Equally if you are confident with technology this can be used with the young adults to create and edit movies and documentaries.

• Working at the local zoo. This would be of interest to those people with a keen interest in animals and birds. However if you are just happy to work outdoors and willing to get your hands dirty then you would be most welcome.