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By Tammy Tibbetts, August 2, 2010 11:56 pm

After flying into Cusco, an hour plane ride south of the capital Lima, we found a hostel (que se llama Mama Cuzco—the owner calls herself Mama Cuzco and presents herself as a madre to the backpackers who pass through Cuzco), we explored the city a bit ourselves, and then we unexpectedly ran into the director of Peruvian Hearts, Danny Dodson, while shopping at the market! We were scheduled to meet his team later that night at a special Peruvian dinner prepared by Rosa, a family friend who lives atop a hill in Cuzco with her husband Daniel. Rosa is a vital part of Peruvian Hearts’ operations here on the ground, and Daniel would turn out to be a very trusted guide and friend to us in the days to come.

Google research for organizations supporting girls in Peru led us to Peruvian Hearts from our homebase in NJ/NYC earlier this summer. After Cynthia and Tammy had some very long email exchanges with Danny and a Skype call with him, Ana, and our travel buddies Liz and Manny, we synced our trips to Cuzco so we could see Peruvian Hearts’ work with girls firsthand.

At our dinner, we met Giovanna (center), the first girl to graduate from the Hogar. She is the shining star of Ana (left of Cynthia) and Peruvian Hearts!

But before following Peruvian Hearts to the site of one of their major projects, in a province called Anta on Monday, we joined founder Ana, director Danny, their mother Judi, and their friends/Board Members from Colorado at this dinner, a very special start to our week in Cuzco. Our dining room overlooked the entire, lit-up city of Cuzco, a place the Incas treasured and designed to honor their gods.

The most honorable part of the evening was meeting a girl who is “the first” for Peruvian Hearts – Giovanna. Giovanna, 19, is the first graduate of el Hogar, the home for orphaned girls that Peruvian Hearts renovated and works with to provide a healthy lunch program, build a library of books, provide tutoring, among other basic needs. Here is a photo we took after dinner with Giovanna – in her pink jacket that all girls at el Hogar wear – and Ana. Estamos muy orgullosas de estas chicas! Stay tuned for more interview footage about the success stories and challenges of girls in Peru.

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By Tammy Tibbetts, July 28, 2010 11:37 am

Cuzco, Peru awaits She's the First!

We chose to begin #STF360 in Cuzco, Peru, because that’s where Ana Dodson and her team from Peruvian Hearts will be working the first week of August. Their motto: “Changing the world, one heart at a time.”

We are so humbled and thankful to have the Peruvian Hearts team greet us at the airport and welcome us to their home in Cuzco. That night, the Dodsen family invited us to a special dinner, to meet their friends and native residents who have been part of Peruvian Hearts since its founding in 2003. Danny, the executive director and Ana’s brother, also introduced us to Edwin, who owns LaQuinta Eco Hotel, a 100% organic place for us to sleep (and they have wireless Internet, which means we can blog and tweet freely!).

Ana, with one of her girls

We couldn’t dream of a warmer welcome to Peru, and we’re overjoyed to unlock our mission there: supporting girls’ education, alongside Ana. Now, will you join us in giving Ana a warm She’s the First welcome? Here’s a little bit more about her!

Ana’s Stats

• She’s 18
• She was born in Cuzco, Peru and adopted by the Dodsens, who live in Colorado, when she was a baby. (Fun fact: The offices of Peruvian Hearts and AfricAid, our Tanzanian beneficiary for the GIRLS WHO ROCK NY concert, are located down the street from one another!)
• In the summer of 2003, at age 11, Ana visited the orphanages in Peru near where she was born. She brought toys and books for them. When she was leaving, an orphan named Gloria said to her, “Ana, I know you will not forget about us and that you will help us in the future.” That’s what inspired Ana to start Peruvian Hearts.
• Ana was honored as a CNN Hero and a former DoSomething Award finalist. Colin Powell also gave her the Prudential Spirit of Community Award in 2005. She was named one of the top 10 youth volunteers in the United States.
• This video is a wonderfully inspirational 3-minute introduction:

Ana’s Goals

• Improve the quality of life for children in Peru who are living in orphanages or in extreme poverty
• Inspire youth in America to reach out and help others less fortunate than themselves

Ana’s Projects

• 

  Providing daily lunches and vitamins is a huge initiative of Peruvian Hearts

  Maria’s Gift Scholarship Fund: Ana created this scholarship in the memory of her birth mother, who never learned to read or write. It supports secondary school education for girls in need.

• Orphanage Renovation: Peruvian Hearts works with the Hogar Mercedes de Jesus Molina, helping to make it a model orphanage by improving the schooling, sanitation, and structure. 20 girls live here, in the hills just outside of Cusco. They’ve also brought clean/hot water to the Hogar.
• Feeding and Vitamins: Peruvian Hearts supports two children’s lunch programs that serve about 400 children daily, who walk miles to get to school. They also provide a multivitamin daily (which is why we collected some at the recent #CelebrateSTF tweetup in NYC!)
• Medical and Health Care: Peruvian Hearts provides the children medical and dental exams, as well as emotional support through a visiting psychologist when needed.
• The Library Project: Peruvian Hearts sends children’s books in Spanish down to Peru.
• Tutoring Project: Ana and her volunteers provide extra homework help.

We aim to add Peruvian Heart’s sponsorship initiatives to our She’s the First directory upon our return to the States! What questions do you have for Ana about Peruvian Hearts? Leave them in the comments and we’ll ask!

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