Three students are volunteering in low-income, urban neighborhoods located on the coastal plain near the Pacific Ocean. Chincha is home to about 50,000 inhabitants, many of them descended from African slaves. The city is an agricultural center located several hours south of Lima. Chincha is surrounded by orchards of avocado and mandarin oranges and several large textile factories have recently set up shop here. James spends his days volunteering at Alianza Christian Missionary Church and School. The church's long-term plan is to provide social services to the community based at a facility on the church property. The staff has discovered James' skill for painting and has kept him busy helping to prepare the first wing of a social service center. A group of medical missionaries from the U.S. will staff the modest medical clinic for the first time this week. James has also discovered how much he enjoys spending time with school kids, playing basketball and soccer or simply hanging out.

Chimbote is a fishing port and mining town located six hours north of Lima. It is home to over 300,000 inhabitants. While some cities suffer from poverty, Chimbote is said to suffer from misery. Father Jack and Sister Peggy began their social and spiritual ministry here over 35 years ago, operating a social service network headquartered at the local parish church. Ally volunteers at two teen prevention centers. In the morning she can be found working with children on their homework and English lessons. The center offers a safe and welcoming environment for community children who attend school in the afternoons. After siesta you can find Ally at the Familia Sagrada (Sacred Family Center), an after-school program for abused and neglected children from the neighborhood. She has worked with the staff to design a system of positive rewards to help bring order to the often chaotic activities. She also participates in a support group for teenage girls, continuing the work of former students.

In a community with a high incidence of prostitution and drug abuse, Emily felt called to design a public school curriculum to promote reproductive health. She has developed a series of lesson plans and supporting activities for use in secondary schools. The topics include information about sexually-transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS and cervical cancer and practical methods of prevention. The local public school director values the program and shows her support by providing ample class time to educate her teenage pupils. Emily has designed the curriculum in a format that can be easily adopted by future volunteers.