A very special home and school for disadvantaged children in the Sacred Valley, where you can get involved and make a difference.
When Sol y Luna founder Petit Miribel first came to Peru’s Sacred Valley in 1998, she and her husband Franz founded the Sol y Luna Foundation to help fund education for disadvantaged children.
As Petit explains. “You might look at the rural houses in the Sacred Valley and think life there must be simple, even idyllic. However, the harsh reality is that all too often extreme poverty breeds violence, alcoholism and abuse. With no sense of hope, the light goes out in childrens’ eyes… At Sol y Luna, we create positive change by giving two things that all children deserve: love and education.
The Foundation has grown from strength to strength, opening a school in 2009, a centre for disabled children in 2015, and the Sol y Luna Home in 2018. In 2023, the Sol y Luna Foundation celebrated its 25 year anniversary. This fantastic achievement marks a quarter of a century supporting some of Peru’s most disadvantaged children, providing holistic educational and pastoral care support to children who, in many instances, have faced extreme poverty, abuse or neglect and had nowhere else to turn.
The Foundation has four projects.
The Sol y Luna School initially opened to children of kindergarten age and the first few years of primary school, was subsequently expanded to provide full primary and secondary education. The first children graduated from the school in 2017.
Paqari is a dedicated disabled facility focussed around the concept of inclusion supporting children living with special needs.
The Sol y Luna Home opened its doors in 2018, providing a safe and loving environment for children who, for various reasons, cannot live at home.
Roots & Wings - is the further education programme, where the Foundation supports students who have graduated from the Sol y Luna School in their further studies. As well as covering fees and living costs, they ensure the students have the emotional support they need.
You can visit the school, Paqari and home during your stay at Sol y Luna, either for a half-day or the whole day.
If you have more time (up to 3 months), there is an opportunity to form part of the Sol y Luna family supporting the children and young people who live in the Sol y Luna Home.
Volunteers help with the following:
- Supporting with homework tasks
- Taking part in workshops
- Partaking in activities and life in the Home
The day for volunteers at the Sol y Luna Home is as follows:
- 7am-10am (breakfast with the kids and help with some household chores)
- 4pm-9pm (support for the kids with homework, workshops, dinner)
All these activities require ongoing funding to pay for staff, facilities, resources and training. Donations from visitors to the hotel are vital to allow the Foundation to continue.
There are many ways to get involved, including sponsoring a child's education, making a one-off donation or volunteering to help out at the school, home or Paqari.
Below are how your donation could make a big difference.
The School
- $6 USD feeds a child for one day
- $20 USD covers the cost of a child’s education for one day
- $50 USD feeds a child for one month
- $370 USD covers the cost of a child’s education for one month
- $500 USD feeds a child for one year
Paqari
- $15 USD gives a child therapy (physical or linguistic) for one day
- $300 USD covers the cost of a child’s therapy (physical or linguistic) for one month
- $3100 USD covers the cost of a child’s therapy (physical or linguistic) for one year
- $5 USD covers the daily transport costs for one child
- $120 USD covers monthly transport costs for one child
- $1340 USD covers annual transport costs for one child
Orphanage
- $290 USD gives a child safe and loving home for one month
- $3500 USD covers the annual costs at the Sol y Luna Home for one child
Roots and wings
- $150 USD covers the monthly cost of transportation
- $180 USD Feeds a student for one month
- $200 USD provides accommodation for a month
- $550 USD covers one month of tuition at the University