Peruvian Hearts works to end poverty and gender inequality by educating young women and creating community leaders in Peru—one girl at a time.
Peruvian-born Ana Dodson developed this nonprofit organization to enable young women to embrace education, believe in their own power, and dream of a life beyond the conditions into which they were born. Peruvian Hearts’ programs are designed to help women of all ages to reach their potential through education, mentorship, and community leadership. The girls’ education and empowerment program, empowers Peruvian young women to break the cycle of poverty through secondary-school graduation and continued education at the post-secondary level in vocational institutes, colleges, and universities. They support three different girls’ homes in the Cusco and Sacred Valley of Peru through volunteers and in-kind donations.
Westminster MSC students worked with Peruvian Hearts on a number of
initiatives including website redevelopment, design and implementation
of collateral materials for potential donors, photography, interviewing
girls, developing dream art, and consulting the organization on
branding. The students spent a lot of time with the girls and developed a
strong connection to them on an individual basis. They saw the living
conditions of rural Peruvians, and were grateful for the opportunity to
work with Peruvian Hearts and make a contribution to an organization
that is literally changing the lives of many girls and their families.
In
addition to the work done with Peruvian Hearts, students experienced
the impressive and unique Peruvian culture. They went to Machu Picchu,
the Salt Mines, Ollantaytambo, Moray, Saksaywaman, Qorikancha, the
Amazon rainforest, and the Monastery of San Francisco catacombs in Lima.
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