The Sacred Valley Project (SVP) is a nonprofit organization based in Peru dedicated to empowering indigenous girls from remote Andean communities by providing them with access to quality education. Founded in 2010, SVP aims to eliminate the barriers which prevent girls in the region from completing their education, which include long and dangerous commutes to school, financial constraints, and limited academic support. Through its dormitories and education centers, SVP offers a safe and nurturing environment where girls are able to thrive academically, emotionally, and socially.
Girls in the Sacred Valley face numerous challenges, including gender-based violence and limited access to quality education. In the Cusco region, more than 51 percent of women report having experienced violence and many view it as an expected part of life, showing how normalized the problem has become. These conditions, which were exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, have heightened the need for mental health support and safe learning environments. SVP aims to support girls who are experiencing difficult circumstances, enabling them to gain the skills and tools they need to overcome adversity.
With support from the Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund, SVP will expand its dormitory facilities to better serve its girls. Overcrowding in the current facilities has made it difficult for students to focus in study sessions and limited private spaces limit the effectiveness of therapy sessions, which have been critical for addressing girls’ mental health needs. In Ollantaytambo and Calca, SVP will add a second story to its dormitories, which will provide space for new classrooms, a private room for therapy, and additional bedrooms to accommodate up to 10 new boarding students in each location.
With this expansion, SVP will directly benefit up to 62 students while indirectly supporting 248 family members by reducing financial strains they face in educating their daughters. The goals of the project are to help girls graduate from secondary skills, providing the tools they need to become the best versions of themselves. As an end goal, SVP envisions a future in which girls are able to lead meaningful lives with bright futures. To learn more about SVP, please visit the organization’s website and social media pages:
See more projects: Latin America & the Caribbean, Education, Health & Wellbeing