Cusco's Sacred Valley, Peru
Peru

Programs in Peru

Partnering with Asociación Wiñaypaq to bring medical brigades and healthcare services to indigenous communities in Cusco's Sacred Valley.

1,000+
Patients Served Annually
130+
Sight Restored (2022-2024)
50
Eco-Toilets Installed
100
STEM Students
Laguna Melococha in the Peruvian Andes
Medical brigade team arriving at rural village
Community gathering for health education session
Volunteer team with students at local school

About Our Work

The Sacred Valley

Our Peru programs focus on the Cusco region, serving indigenous Quechua-speaking communities in the high Andes.

Cusco Region

The city of Cusco, at 3,400 meters above sea level, is located in the heart of the central Peruvian Andes. Over 30% of children under 16 are chronically malnourished or living in extreme poverty, and indigenous populations lack adequate healthcare — often traveling by foot to neighboring towns. FNE works with Asociación Wiñaypaq to serve communities like Yanatile and Huacahuasi, some located over 12,000 feet above sea level.

  • Location: Sacred Valley, Cusco
  • Communities: Quechua-speaking villages
  • Health Center: Centro de Salud Pisac (in construction)

Medical Brigades

Multiple times a year, FNE sends teams of volunteer medical professionals deep into the Andes for week-long mobile clinics. Working hand-in-hand with Asociación Wiñaypaq, we travel 4-6 hours from Pisac to reach remote villages where a doctor's visit can be life-changing.

Our Partner

Dr. Francisco Morales and the Wiñaypaq team coordinate every detail — from logistics to community outreach — making each brigade possible.

Sisters Project Peru

The U.S. chapter of FNE International, working with residents of Huacahuasi to build and run a community-led medical clinic in the remote Andes. The work reaches past the building itself into nutrition, anemia prevention, and dental hygiene education. In Huacahuasi alone, 434 people live with anemia, including nearly 22% of children.

Visit Sisters Project Peru (opens in new tab)

Health

Medical Brigades

Multiple times annually, FNE sends week-long mobile medical clinics to Cusco's Sacred Valley, providing healthcare to communities with limited access.

Primary Care

Providing checkups, diagnoses, and treatment to families who otherwise go without

Pediatrics

Caring for the littlest patients — from newborns to growing children

Cataract Surgery

Giving the gift of sight back to adults through life-changing procedures

Physical Therapy

Helping patients regain strength, mobility, and independence

Eye Care

Screening vision and protecting eye health across all ages

Women's Health

Supporting mothers and women with dedicated wellness and maternal care

Patient Education

Empowering communities with the knowledge to stay healthy long after we leave

In rural communities 4–6 hours outside of Pisac, volunteer doctors, nurses, and specialists bring real healthcare to families who've never had it. We treat everything from everyday illnesses to complex eye conditions — and through our partnership with Sights on Health (formerly Promise to Peru), over 130 people have had their sight restored through cataract surgery since 2012, including 52 procedures in 2022 and 78 in 2024. Hundreds of patients are served each year, and the impact ripples through entire communities.

Lambayeque

Zaña Valley Health & Support

Working with Asociación Latidos to bring healthcare and humanitarian aid to communities on Peru's northern coast.

Lambayeque Region

The Lambayeque region on Peru's northern coast comprises three provinces — Chiclayo, Ferreñafe, and Lambayeque — and is home to 1.2 million inhabitants. The region has a poverty rate of 20%, a large number of people with disabilities, and a 40% gap in health insurance.

  • Provinces: Chiclayo, Ferreñafe, Lambayeque
  • Population: 1.2 million
  • Partner: Asociación Latidos

Our Work in the Zaña Valley

FNE began working in the Zaña Valley in 2020, hand in hand with Asociación Latidos, providing humanitarian aid and medical assistance — especially during the most challenging months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Medical brigades serving communities like Cayalti, Popan Bajo, and Nueva Esperanza
  • Health education workshops for children and families
  • Strengthening local health networks and community-led initiatives

Impact: During 2021 and 2022, medical brigades in the Zaña Valley provided care to families whose access to healthcare was made even more difficult during the pandemic.

Lima

Eco-Toilets & Urban Health Solutions

Providing safe, sustainable sanitation to families in Lima's underserved outer districts.

Lima's Outer Districts

Lima is a megacity that more than 11 million people call home. The city continues to sprawl and many of its peripheral areas are the most disenfranchised — some with access to basic sanitation below 50%. In San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru's most populous district, settlements like Minas de Pedregal face sanitation as a major issue.

  • District: San Juan de Lurigancho
  • Community: Minas de Pedregal
  • Partner: Asociación Arrebol

Our Work in Lima

  • Installation of dry eco-toilets for families without sewer access
  • Training on maintenance and environmental stewardship
  • Hygiene and health education for long-term sustainability

Impact: Fifty eco-toilets have been installed, giving families safe, dignified sanitation and improving community health across the region.

Education

STEM Education

A virtual STEM program run with Asociación Latidos, connecting students in Peru with students from Miami Dade College.

How It Works

Students meet virtually through the year with students from Miami Dade College, working through science, technology, engineering, and math together across the distance.

  • Partner: Asociación Latidos
  • Format: Virtual sessions, with one visit in person each year
  • Students: 100

Meeting in Person

Once a year the Miami Dade College students travel to Peru, turning a screen-to-screen relationship into a face-to-face one and working alongside the students they have mentored all year.

  • Hands-on STEM projects with local students
  • University students as mentors and role models
  • A year of virtual work carried into the classroom

Partnerships

Our Local Partners

Our Peru programs succeed through strong partnerships with local organizations who understand the communities we serve.

Asociación Wiñaypaq Pro Desarrollo Humano

Cusco Community Health & Development

Nonprofit founded in the district of Pisac, Cusco, aimed at promoting human development through projects related to health, education, and culture. Led by Dr. Francisco Morales, Wiñaypaq coordinates medical brigades and ensures care reaches indigenous Quechua-speaking families in the Sacred Valley.

Medical brigade coordinationCommunity outreachHealth education
Visit Wiñaypaq (opens in new tab)

Sights on Health

Sacred Valley Vision Care & Cataract Surgery

Formerly Promise to Peru, Sights on Health has partnered with FNE since 2012 on cataract surgical missions. In 2022, they returned post-COVID and completed 52 procedures free of charge. In 2024, together we restored the sight of 78 patients from rural Cusco communities.

Cataract surgeryEye examinationsVision screening
Visit Sights on Health (opens in new tab)

Asociación Latidos

Lambayeque Health, Education & Humanitarian Aid

Non-profit founded in the district of Zaña, Lambayeque, aimed at promoting women's empowerment, human development through health, education, culture, and humanitarian aid. There is a strong female-led component as most of their volunteers are local women. Director: Flor Reaño.

Medical brigadesHumanitarian aidWomen's empowerment
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Asociación Arrebol

Lima Sanitation & Environmental Health

Arrebol Perú S.A.C. is a socially-oriented company committed to the development of sanitation in Peru. They design, implement, and monitor domestic wastewater treatment projects and dry sanitation systems with environmentally friendly technologies. General Manager: Blanca Villafranca.

Dry eco-toilet installationWastewater treatmentEnvironmental stewardship
Visit Arrebol (opens in new tab)

From Our Blog

Stories from Peru

Read about the impact our partnerships are making in Peruvian communities.

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