Gender Equality Peru Project #8401

Peruvian Hearts - Girls' Education & Empowerment

by Peruvian Hearts

Peruvian Hearts - Girls' Education & Empowerment

Project Report | Apr 24, 2026
PH Scholars Lead with Service and Growth

By Demeaus Minnihan | Development Lead

PH Scholars Leydi and Rosa Maria

Dear loyal Peruvian Hearts supporters,

Thank you for your continued belief in the potential of young women in Peru. We are glad to report that the largest-ever cohort of scholars, who joined in December, is already finding their footing in the PH community and stepping into opportunities to grow and serve.

This quarter, the PH Scholars have been living out the pay-it-forward mindset that defines Peruvian Hearts. Fifteen scholars led a cleanup of the Incan archaeological sites of Sacsayhuamán and Qenqo, collecting litter to restore these iconic Cusco landmarks.

In another service project, 22 scholars, many of them among the newest, volunteered throughout February and March at Casa San José, a local children's home. They offered academic tutoring, emotional support, and recreational activities, and donated school supplies. It is a joy to witness the older PH Scholars modeling servant leadership, and all the scholars growing together as compassionate leaders who understand that their education is a gift meant to be shared. This is the ripple effect your investment makes possible: agents of change who are already transforming the lives of those around them.

Your support is what makes this holistic growth possible. Beyond the scholarship itself, you enable us to walk alongside each scholar as she pursues her education, providing safe housing, nutritional support, academic counseling, psychosocial care, and leadership development so she can realize her full potential.

We are deeply grateful for your loyalty and for 23 years of shared commitment to this work. Because of you, 41 young women are pursuing their bachelor’s degrees and 10 are working to defend their theses. We hope you will consider visiting us in Cusco and the scholars you believe in.

With gratitude,

The Peruvian Hearts Team

PH Scholars attending a monthly Meeting of Growth

Links:

http://peruvianhearts.org

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Dec 28, 2025
Largest Cohort of 15 New PH Scholars welcomed!

By Demeaus Minnihan | Development Lead

PH Alum Jhima after defending her thesis.

Happy Holidays to our loyal Peruvian Hearts supporters,

As we prepare for the new year, we are looking back fondly over a year marked with success and joy, thanks to your continued investment. Your support is what continues to allow Peruvian Hearts to thrive and be able to offer resources for education and empowerment to even more young women leaders.

This month we welcomed our largest cohort of 15 PH Scholars, bringing the total number of new PH Scholars to 26! Each of these young women carries her own story of courage, resilience, and hope and brings with her a unique perspective that will enrich and strengthen our shared values. These young women embody the spirit of leadership that defines Peruvian Hearts, driven by empathy, guided by purpose, and committed to creating meaningful change. With this newest cohort, we are proud to say that we have more current scholars (52) than PH Alumni, (36), demonstrating that Peruvian Hearts is growing!

In total, this year we saw five scholars receive their bachelor’s degrees: Yanet, Lucero, Yurema, Jennifer, and Paola and 11 scholars successfully defended their theses: Adriela, Lurdes, Medalid, Aldeyny, Carlota, Lizbeth, Melani, Ruth Katherine, Alexandra, Nikole, and Jhima. These accomplishments are more than just degrees; they are the catalyst for a fundamental cultural shift in rural Peru. To reach these milestones, you believed in the potential of the PH Scholars, enabling us to empower them with crucial resources like academic counseling, psychosocial support, mentorship, and leadership workshops, all while ensuring their basic needs such as safe housing and food are met. Already, we witness the powerful ripple effect of your investment as the PH Alumni mature as leaders and professionals, supporting their families, and helping their own sisters access education. We extend our sincerest gratitude for your continued loyalty and unwavering support as we work together to build a future of equality and opportunity.

We are deeply grateful for your generous support and belief in the potential of the young women of Peruvian Hearts. We wish you and yours a peaceful and blessed holiday season!

~The Peruvian Hearts Team

PH Alum Jennifer receives her bacehlor's degree.

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Sep 1, 2025
Nine PH Scholars Receive Professional Titles!

By Demeaus Minnihan | Development Lead

PH Program at Machu Picchu with Ayers Foundation

Thank you for your loyal support of Peruvian Hearts and the young women we support in our education and empowerment program. Your ongoing generosity and dedication allow us to offer these bright young women opportunities to grow and pursue their dreams. We are excited to share some inspiring updates from the last four months!

Two more scholars, Lucero (Psychology) and Yanet (Information & Systems Engineering), have earned their bachelor’s degrees from Andina University and UNSAAC, respectively. Nine more scholars have defended their theses: Medalid (Psychology), Adriela (Psychology), Ruth Katherine (Business Administration), Jhima (Education), Aldyny (Systems Engineering), Lizbeth (Psychology), Nikole (Mathematics), Melani (Business Administration), and Lurdes (Psychology), Maribel (Acounting). Bringing our total alumni count to 35, we are incredibly proud of the precedent that these new PH Alumni are setting for other girls and women in their families and communities. We are grateful for recent collaborations with friends of Peruvian Hearts to build up the PH Scholars. Executive coach Susana Ferrel and her team have generously gifted their time to host a series of workshops such as “The Power of Self-Knowledge” and “Emotional Agility.” These sessions, curated specifically for the PH Scholars and our team, have and continue to provide valuable tools for empowerment both personally and professionally.

In July, the Ayers Foundation from Pennsylvania thoughtfully invited all of the PH Scholars and Team to visit Machu Picchu as a group. Despite living their whole lives near this iconic landmark, the cost makes it economically unfeasible for most locals to visit. We are thankful for the generosity and kindness of the Ayers Foundation, who share our vision of holistic support: one that extends far beyond a university scholarship. These experiences help the young women in our program to form even stronger bonds and empowers them to be proud of where they come from, who they are, and to dream bigger.

PH Scholars Meda & Adriela after thesis defense

Emotional Agility Workshop with Susana Ferrel

PH Scholar Yanet after thesis defense

Links:

http://peruvianhearts.org

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