Lessons from the Mountains: Our 2025 Peru Giveaway
- Ric
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
Far in the misty Andean roads, the second leg of our 2025 operations in Peru got underway in March and it was as heartwarming as it was humbling. While our giveaway phase ran relatively smoothly, it wasn’t without challenges—especially from one particularly unpredictable factor: the weather.
And though we found ourselves often passing crumbling mountain walls, and strong rivers eating up the land, the persistent rains and weather did not stop us from delivering every piece of materials to our children.
In total we delivered to 382 students, spread out through 14 schools, and 2 regions.
Education in the andes of Peru is challenged by distance and density of population; the farther you go into the valleys of the Andes, the smaller the schools are, each filled with community children; on average around 30, but not exceeding 50; all in poverty
Sunday March 16: Warming Up the Engines
Before Monday's kickoff, we made a few early deliveries:
Hovde Orphanage received materials today! This is our second year in a row working with Hovde, and we couldn't be more proud. If you are new to this mission, Hovde is a safe house for girls victims of sexual assault, where they receive all the help they need.
Buenos Aires Primary School The principal, Mr. Marco Antonio Lazo picked up their supplies today; helping us ensure the students got their materials this week, instead of waiting for our scheduled delivery the following Monday.
Javier Pulgar Vidal - Utao: Home of our local coordinator Esmeralda Tarazona, this school is the base to 32 children supported by Dear Future. Though JVP is a very big school, we were able to deliver to the most in need.
Monday March 17: Off to the Races
At 6:00 AM sharp, we hit the road with our trusted driver Tito—now a veteran of our operations. Despite weather-worn roads, we reached San Isidro de Visag and San Jose de Cayran without a hitch. Numbers matched perfectly. One hiccup? Postcards. Teachers were too swamped with day-one duties. Right away I recognized, yet again, that we are fortunate to have an experienced Andean driver in Tito, this is going to be a challenging week.
Tuesday March 18: A Smooth Ride to Yanayacu
Today was a relative breeze. Though the roads are a mess getting there, we didn't encounter any active landmass movements! Yanayacu is one of our original schools and is home to just under 30 children. We were able to return today early and organize our materials for the following days, using new data provided by the teachers.
Wednesday March 19: Mother Nature Intervenes
Our toughest day!
We aimed for San Luis de Llincag and San Juan de la Libertad in the district of Chaulan but landslides and river-like water runs forced us to pivot. Local teachers confirmed full closures. With student materials in tow and nowhere to go, we returned to center, rerouted and successfully visited Carancho instead, slightly ahead of schedule where although student attendance was low, the principal handled distribution the next day. But we didn't leave the original two schools in the lurch! Tito and I dropped off the materials at their respective principal's home (with their approval) and they ensured the materials were delivered, a couple days later, when the roads were fixed.
Thursday March 20: Through the Rubble and on to Puca-Puca
At 3984m (13070 ft), Puca Puca challenged us with landslides and boulders, but we made it, this location takes our breath away! The community was welcoming, and the journey—though long—was worth every second. Today was our longest day, though the road was challenging, this was the longest distance in our journey. This is the first year we delivered to this school, but the principal has been in our journey for a couple of years.
Puca Puca's charm was incredible, from their locally made red sweaters and beanies which won a prize in the local crafts competition. I placed my request for a sweater for next year, which, I'm willing to pay a fair price and more!
Friday March 21: Buenos Aires, A Fresh Face
With our new free day, we finally visited Buenos Aires, three days ahead of schedule. Though the materials were already delivered, this was our chance to connect and see the school firsthand. This was a great moment!
Day 6: A Sweet Ending
We wrapped the week by revisiting Hovde Safe House, bringing baked goods and sodas to the girls. We enjoyed the sweets, played some Volleyball with laughter and pure joy.
Cusco: A New Frontier
After a year of research, we officially began exploring operations in Cusco—specifically San Francisco in the district of Colcha, where we found San Juan Bautista Primary and the School Principal Carlota Ttupa Carrillo and her 18 students whom received us with joy and happiness. Though this was only supposed to be an assessment visit, we didn't show up empty handed; with us we brought school materials for their students, a fraction of what we normally deliver, but an act of good faith.
Why Cusco?
Communities far from the capital of this region face extreme poverty and isolation. A far difference from the tourist filled capital of Cusco.
Unlike Huanuco’s scattered schools, we’ll focus efforts in one district: Colcha.
San Francisco offers us a portal to schools deeper in the mountains with students in far and needy locations.
With a good relationship with San Francisco, its infrastructure supports more streamlined operations, and possibly safe storage within the last mile.
Challenges here include poverty, alcoholism, and kids walking long distances including some crossing rivers via basket and cable systems. Our initial assessment says: Yes—this community fits our mission.
For Clarity: there's an unfortunate level of alcoholism in adults and parents of children, a problem that places student's needs at the bottom of the priority list.
Reflections and Next Steps
Tito’s leadership: I have been very impressed with the amount of help Tito can provide; not only as an expert driver, but possibly as a person that can deliver the goods himself in Huanuco.
Postcard project: Might be time to retire it, sadly it has become very challenging to keep up with the logistics of moving and completing this program. A simpler one way program may take its place.
Help needed: One-person ops are too much—next year we need more help, where Tito's support might come handy.
Planning ahead: An observation of this mission, is that the number of students this year dropped from last; and though children are seen in communities, principals are trying hard to get them signed up. Our approach for next year will stop looking for more schools and instead focus on getting more students in the schools we are already supporting, and thus we’ll now order materials with a 10% surplus and coordinate with schools before the year ends to encourage more students and on-time enrollment. We are betting in the idea that if families know their children will be supported, they will be enrolled.
From Huanuco to Cusco, the mission grows. We’re learning, adapting, and dreaming bigger every year. Stay tuned for what’s next!
Support our mission or get involved by visiting www.dear-future.org or following us @DearFutureusa in Facebook or @dearfuturengo in the gram.
Together, we write the future—one notebook at a time.
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