< Back to Odyssey Framework

RESOURCES

CCS

A Fresh Chapter actively partners with Cross Cultural Solutions, or CCS, a 20+ year-old organization that is a leader in the international volunteering space and has been working in Peru for more than 18 years. We love partnering with them (this is our 5th time partnering with them in Peru, and we’ve partnered with them for years in India and Costa Rica!) because they take care of every single detail to ensure you are safe and well cared for during your time in country. They pick you up at the airport, take care of food and accommodation, help arrange volunteer experiences with local organizations, and plan cultural activities.

Fundraisers and Scholarship Recipients:

Once you have paid or fundraised your deposit of $450, you will receive an email from Stacy, our Operations Manager, with steps on how to sign up with Cross-Cultural Solutions. Once registered, you’ll have access to all of the resources relating to Peru, including language lessons, packing lists, and required registration forms. CCS requires all participants to complete and upload forms and pertinent information onto their website at least 60 days prior to arrival in country. We strongly encourage you to complete the paperwork as quickly as possible. For easy reference, here is the link to your myCCS page.

Lilly Employees:

Formal program enrollment is required through Cross-Cultural Solutions. Program enrollment will open March 4, at 9AM EST. All Lilly ambassadors must enroll in the program by March 18 at 6PM EST. After this date, the system will not accept the username and password provided to you.

Enroll via Cross-Cultural Solutions enrollment: https://www.crossculturalsolutions.org/enroll/group-enrollment. Provide the username and password which you received in your program acceptance email from Kathy Hudson.  Note: After March 18 at 6PM EST, the username and password provided will no longer be accepted.

Once you have accessed the group page, you will be prompted to fill out your contact information and create a username and password for myCCS.   Once you have submitted the enrollment form through the group page, you will get a confirmation page confirming your successful enrollment.

Once registered, you’ll have access to all of the resources relating to Peru, including language lessons, packing lists, and required registration forms. CCS requires all participants to complete and upload forms and pertinent information onto their website at least 60 days prior to arrival in country. We strongly encourage you to complete the paperwork as quickly as possible. For easy reference, here is the link to your myCCS page.

Katie Nichols is our CCS contact.

Forms, Deadlines, and Important Dates

AFC Forms:

The following forms needs to be completed:

AFC Participant Agreement – via DocuSign – within 2 weeks of program acceptance

CCS Forms:

Forms can be found on myCCS.  Please submit these online via the CCS Dashboard before the deadline.

Important Dates:  

April 29 at 12pm ET – Kick-off call for Lilly employees

TBD – Kick-off call for Fundraisers and Scholarship recipients

TBD – Ice breaker call for all participants

TBD – Predeparture call

Preparations

Flights

• You will fly in and out of Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima (LIM).
• You will likely have a layover in the United States or Central America. Give yourself at least 2 hours between flights in order to clear customs & make your way to another terminal.
• You will likely be taking a red-eye flight.  Consider the following items to make yourself more comfortable:  compression socks; neck pillow; sturdy earplugs like Max (silly putty); eye mask; ear buds/headphones for movies.
• Arrive anytime on November 7th – you can use any airline.  Keep in mind flights either arrive very early in the morning or very late at night into Lima.  The evening is arrival is ok, but we will start orientation bright and early the next morning. Airport transfers will be arranged by our partner CCS to take you from the airport to our home base in Barranco. You can depart anytime on or after November 21, 2020, but we will only arrange airport transfer for anyone departing on November 21 before 11AM. If you plan to stay longer in Lima, you will need to book and pay for your own airport transfer.
• The typical participant will need approximately $600 to $1200 for the round trip flight to Lima, Peru.
• Many previous participants have been donated airline miles to help offset flight costs.

Airport Pickup

• Please bring a copy of the CCS Travel Contact Information Sheet (provided by CCS closer to your departure date) in your carry-on luggage.  (Pro Tip:  Take a photo of it on your phone!)  This sheet lists the contact information for our in-country staff and a 24-hour emergency hotline for you to call in case of delays or emergencies.
• You will meet CCS staff in the greeting area outside of customs.  They will be holding a sign with the CCS logo.

Passport & Visa

• Citizens of the United States and Canada do not require a Visa to travel to Peru.
• You must have a valid passport and at least (2) two blank visa pages in your passport to enter the country.
• You should also ensure that your passport does not expire within the six (6) months following your return.

Medical

We have designed our program to be accessible at all stages of the cancer journey.  However, our once-in-a-lifetime experience in Peru includes a flight to Cusco/Sacred Valley where there is less access to medical facilities and temporary altitude sickness is common (the elevation is 11,000 feet/3400 meters).  You must have no known issues with altitude as well as be comfortable being away form a major medical center for at least four days.  In addition, while in Lima, you will need to be able to spend four plus hours per day volunteering and doing an assortment of activities.  All participants will need a medical clearance from their doctors prior to participating in the program.

• No malaria or yellow fever medication is required for travel to Lima or the Sacred Valley.   However, you will need this if you plan to visit other areas, such as the Amazon basin.
• We recommend checking out the CDC travel page for Peru to see what is advised and making an appointment with a personal physician or travel doctor to see what they recommend for you specifically.  The CDC recommends Typhoid and Hepatitis A vaccines for most travelers, although these are not required.
• Please review the CDC’s warning about the Zika virus.
• We will send information to all participants about travel medical insurance coverage (included in your Program Fee) once we have confirmed all details with our insurance partner.

Packing Guide

• November is the beginning of SUMMER in Lima!  The average high is around 73 degrees F, and average low around 63 degrees F.  However, they say you can experience all four seasons in one day in Lima, so be sure to dress in layers!
• In the Sacred Valley, it will be much cooler at night.
• Lima has very little rainfall and is one of the driest capitals in the world.  However, it will be the beginning of the rainy season at Machu Picchu.

Clothes:

• Layers!  Comfortable, loose, modest, basic – nothing low cut or see-thru, nothing that screams privilege
• For your volunteer placement:  t-shirts, long shorts, skirts (knee-length and below), capris, jeans, and long pants/trousers.
• Active wear – clothes you can easily move in and good walking shoes!
• A few nicer outfits for evenings out to dinner or exploring Lima nightlife
• Closed toed shoes to wear for volunteering and city-exploring
• Some long pants and sweaters for possibly chiller evenings
• Slippers and warm pajamas
• Raincoat just in case
• Hat

Things:

• Journal
• Refillable water bottle
• Sun Screen
• Bug Spray
• Hand sanitizer & travel pack of tissues
• Granola bars or other snacks
• Sunglasses
• Camera
• Personal hygiene items
• Backpack/sling purse to carry water bottle, tissues, and hand sanitizer to work assignment
• Weekend bag (could be your carry-on)
• Luggage lock
• Medications (please make sure they are in their original prescription bottles)
• You may need an adapter/converter depending on the electronics you plan to bring.  Electricity in Peru is 220 Volts and outlets fit flat blade plugs and those with two round pins.  Please refer to http://treehouse.ofb.net/go/en/voltage/Peru for more information.  Three prong plugs will require an adapter.
• Copy of passport, kept in a separate location from your actual passport

What NOT to bring:

• Valuables – only bring a laptop if you have a true need

A note about linens – Linens are provided, but they are not the softest.  If you would like to bring a pillowcase and/or twin sheet for an extra layer of comfort, you are welcome to.  A hand towel and/or washcloth is also handy since they can be scarce. However, none of these items are required if you are running out of space in your luggage.

Remember – PACK LIGHT.  Laundry facilities are inexpensive and close to the Home-Base.  In addition, you will have access to all basic necessities in Lima, including toiletries and any supplies you may want for your placement.