Empowering Indigenous Female Leaders of Tomorrow

In the Sacred Valley of Peru direct descendants of the Inca Empire live in the dry and frigid highlands where access to education is limited. Children have to walk up to two hours to attend elementary school and high school is often not an option. While boys move into cities to find work or education, girls are left in their impoverished villages where they have fewer opportunities.

In 2009, village leaders and community members from rural, mountain villages of the Sacred Valley of Peru came up with a plan. They hoped to build a dormitory in the town of Ollantaytambo where their daughters could live while attending high school. After a year of fund-raising, and with the help and inspiration brought forth by these community members, the Sacred Valley Project got the dormitory project off the ground.

In our first year, the Sacred Valley Project accepted six diligent and eager young women who spend their mornings in school and their afternoon’s studying and participating in after-school extracurricular activities. To provide multiple generations of girls with the opportunity to attend school, we need a larger and more permanent dormitory. Our plan is to accept 6 new girls each year until we will reach a functioning capacity of 30 students in our own safe, nurturing and sustainable dormitory.

The global development community has come to realize that girls’ education is vital in overcoming poverty. With the education these girls gain while living at the dormitory, doors will open for the women of the Sacred Valley. They will return to their communities as empowered indigenous leaders. They can start their own business, teach classes of their own, or go to college. And you can help them get there!

Unlike many non-profit organizations, the Sacred Valley Project is not saddled by expensive overhead costs. If you choose to donate, all of your money will go directly to the dormitory. As a registered 501(c)(3) non profit, we can assure that all funds will go directly to the project and that your donations will be 100% tax deductible.