For many years we have been supporting the Huchuy Yachaq community project in the marginalised neighbourhood of Hermanos Ayar, Peru.
This small neighbourhood, perched on the outskirts of the Cusco hills that overlook the city, is home to many people who have come to the city in search of work.
Each year we donate around USD 3,000 to this community association to fund the salary of a teacher, school packs, snacks, classroom materials and holiday group activities.
2023 was challenging for the country’s economy, which made the work of Huchuy Yachaq more difficult but also more important. However, they rose to the challenge and around 300 children and their families benefited from the association’s support over the year, including another successful “Maxi Vacaciones” summer school programme attended by over 120 children.
It’s really heartening to hear that a number of volunteers in the “Trotabarrios” (mobile library) project are former pupils of the foundation. Others are local young professionals and students who gave up their time to help with workshops.
Huchuy Yachaq is asking for donations to provide school packs that contain everything the kids need to head back to the classroom in 2024. Each pack costs USD 40 and includes a backpack, stationery, and folders.
Please contact us for more information and how to donate to this wonderful project that really makes a difference to a neighbourhood in need.
You can read about some of our friends and customer visits to the project: read Maria’s week volunteering in her blog, as well as Nigel’s visit.
This project was set up by volunteer social workers and teachers to provide much-needed social and educational support to the children and families of this impoverished neighbourhood.
Children are encouraged to attend extra classes to study each day after school. We help by paying for a teacher.
Games sessions are held each afternoon and the kids also participate in holiday projects.
Over the years our contributions have paid for educational books and games, tables and chairs, structural improvements to the community-owned building including adding toilets, school materials, and books for the children, plus holiday programmes and a teacher.
You can volunteer or help by donation. If you would like to donate materials, please get in touch with us to work out logistics.
In this neighbourhood there are high poverty levels and little in the way of guaranteed income.
Most houses have had water and electricity installed recently, but most adults work long hours in poorly paid insecure jobs. Many of the children also used to work, usually on the street selling postcards to tourists, cleaning shoes, washing cars etc.
In 2006 the project started a programme of “useful holidays” with a 2 month programme of educational activities for 120 children involving five teachers. During the holidays courses are run in logic and maths, communication, dance, theatre, crafts, and the kids go on organised visits to local attractions etc.
Over the 2024/25 holidays Huchuy Yachaq ran “MAXIVACATIONS 2025”. Children and teenagers attended workshops on visual arts, theater techniques, rap, entrepreneurship for kids, and creative writing. Their long break was transformed into a time of fun learning and a space to strengthen social skills, bringing education and opportunities to underprivileged communities.
Also in 2006 a small library was established, to provide support to the children that come to the centre after school to do their homework and school projects.
Assistance is also provided to some of the children so they could register for school, providing text books, note books, pencils, school clothes and so on.
A new project was begun in 2024: “Thak kaypi yachasun: Learning for peace”. This project was attended by groups of high school students from 1st to 4th grade. The young people took part in dynamic and reflective sessions, aimed at helping them learn to challenge stereotypes, talk openly with each other, and understand how others feel. The facilitators who ran the workshops say that “we hope that by thinking about themselves and their actions, they can help create a world without violence and where everyone has the chance to succeed.”
If you wish to contribute please send a donation to the Andean Trails office stating what it is for.
Every penny donated will be given to the Community – it costs USD 40 for a child to receive all the materials necessary for one year at school.
The project has also encouraged mothers to generate their own income by providing training in handicrafts, which the project sells.
Items available to buy include leather bags, jewellery and textiles such as wall hangings.
The project is very happy to receive volunteer workers on a short or long term basis. Daily help is required with the kids, helping with games and studying. Help is also required to look after the building, and volunteers are always made welcome.
Please contact the office for more information on how to get involved.
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J. Hill, U.K. Cloud forest and Amazon trip, Ecuador. November, 2025. I would like to thank Tom for organising my trip to Santa Lucia and Sinchi Wayra! It was incredible - he made the process really easy, and having all the information provided in sheets ready to print out and take with me was really useful. As I had a short period of time to do both places and had seen Santa Lucia trips advertised on Andean Trails' website, I felt that you were best placed to help me manage the organisation and scheduling. If I were planning another trip to South America, your website is the first place I would look. I also found the blogs really interesting to read before my departure and gave me useful information (and ideas for future holidays!). The highlight of my holiday was the cock-of-the-rock walk at Santa Lucia at 4am. Seeing the forest and the birds through the sunrise and then eating breakfast by a waterfall was a great way to start the day! I also really enjoyed the day at the community centre at Sinchi Wayra learning about the community and their traditions. Accommodation/ food/ guides/ overall organisation were all extremely good for both locations. The trip was well organised - my guide made sure I had time to see and do everything that I wanted to do. We had lots of great discussions about the rainforest, the birds and insects and also the history of Santa Lucia. No question went unanswered and I had a lot of them! The food was excellent and good portions - I was very well looked after. The cabin at Sinchi Wayra was extremely comfortable, despite being quite open to the wildlife. The mosquito net sorted any night time visitors out though and it great listening to the sounds of the forest and seeing the occasional glow worm going past! Our guide worked hard on the excursions to find us lots of interesting things to see like monkeys, parrots and caymans and also helped us get great footage. The lodge picked me up straight after the flight and dropped me off well in time for my flight back to Quito with no issues. The food here was some of the best I had in Ecuador. At both lodges, time was taken to explain their history, the various environmental and social issues that impact both environments and how tourism is essential to help keep pressures of deforestation, and particularly in the Amazon, oil extraction, at bay. I feel my visit did therefore help the lodges and communities, as it helps them push back against these pressures.
Alastair and John, UK. Tailormade Patagonia inc. Self-guided Paine Circuit. November, 2025 Andean Trails has many pluses. You get a bespoke trip: “bespoke” as in getting exactly what you want (not as in expensive) and you are not part of a group with inevitable compromises to the itinerary. Kathy is very knowledgeable about the region from personal experience. The side trips beyond Chalten and Paine, suggested by Kathy, made for a fuller experience of both countries, their culture and history. We had to make changes during the trip and were able to complete them using WhatsApp, Kathy’s availability never seemed an issue. The local agents sent us reminders for the next day in good English and were all punctual. The WhatsApp reminders were very helpful/reassuring. The highlight of the trip was just the beauty of the scenery overall. Accommodation all very comfortable/ appropriate. The hotels in Buenos and Santiago were very comfortable and with good restaurants nearby. Canelos and Senderos good walking hotels, and food in Canelos notably good. Bunkrooms in Paine were roomy and facilities generally better than a lot of what we've experienced in Alps/Pyrenees. Food in Puerto Natales was particularly good with some great fish and seafood, at great prices, We maybe benefited local people by using hotels, laundries, restaurants etc. Obviously the tourist industry in both Argentina and Chile employs lots of local people. We tipped services hopefully at a reasonable level. What I would do differently is I probably would not have bought as much data on my eSIM WiFi is pretty ubiquitous even in the park. There are inevitably a lot of transfers and bus connections. Might have tried to finesse some of that.
