Sacred Valley accommodation, Peru

We seek to raise the economic standard of living of the community. 40 local women come every Saturday to make beautiful things in a cooperation. We try to sell the products and the money is for 100% for the women. We employ over 30 local people (6 teachers, a doctor, 2 dentists, 3 cooks for the children, cleaners, gardeners, people who help with showering etc) Only 2 work for the guesthouse, the others for the project. We try to get as much food from our garden as possible. For the rest we buy everything in Urubamba and Cusco. We like to help the Peruvian economy.

The project cultivates and raises it’s own organically grown food. We teach environmental consciousness to the students and parents.We never throw away food or paper. We make organic compost. Our young adult students help to clean the roads if necessary. We never throw away plastic bags or bottles. The Pringle bags and toilet rolls are used by the children in the creative lessons.

From Monday to Friday in the Day Centre, about 120 deprived children aged from 6 to 12 are offered basic necessities: to begin with, a hot shower, a warm meal, sport and games to achieve a good level of mental and physical health in the children and afterwards they get extra education. The centre for young adults started in March 2005. This is a high school vocational training for young people from 15 years old. Students have to produce a declaration of poverty from the Urubamba town hall. They pay only 5 Soles (€1.25) per month for this 18 month long education. Normally they would have to pay many times this amount.

Evenings and Saturdays are organised for the local people. Both men and women are given the opportunity to learn about modern opinions on hygiene, sexual freedom and personal development. One of the themes is the dangers and consequences of misuse of (industrial) alcohol in families (such as domestic violence). Support is offered in how to moderate the use of alcohol.By involving the local people in the activities, the project contributes to strengthening the feeling of self-esteem and improving living conditions.

Guests have the opportunity to donate financially, they actually do by staying at the project. We will show them around so they can see everything that happens. The subjects are woodwork, electro technology, English, ICT and especially for the girls, clothing manufacture. The studies are completed with credits.