Community Programs
Valley Camp works with communities in the Sacred Valley and in more remote areas of the Cusco Region. We work in places where we have built relationships and where the community members are motivated to collaborate with us. To build our community programs, we work alongside local parents, teachers, and community presidents to develop a unique curriculum for each place that promotes cultural celebration, personal development, community service, and connection to and protection of nature.
Beyond our ongoing community programs, we also offer special one and two-day activities for communities. If you have contacts in a Quechua community that would like for Valley Camp to come visit and offer a day or weekend program, please reach out to us.
Current Programs
Pitumarca Camp
Pitumarca is a small town four hours from the Sacred Valley. With an estimated population of 8,000, many of the families are from nearby Quechua communities that have moved to Pitumarca for better education opportunities for their children. There is also a growing rock climbing area where hundreds of foreigners are coming annually to climb.
Every August during the local school’s winter break, we offer a week-long camp for forty to fifty children and teens of Pitumarca and the community of Pampachiri. Our principal objective for this program is to provide access to outdoor sports and nature as well as personal development activities. Additionally, we visit Pitumarca throughout the year to visit the schools where our campers study as well as offer occasional weekend activities to maintain contact and continue supporting the community's needs.
Pachar y Peroniyoc Valley
We work with youth from the communities of Pachar, Socma, Markauray, and Rayan (all in the Sacred Valley) throughout the year by providing weekend programs using an experiential education methodology with our team of dedicated volunteers. By planning with the school and community leaders, we focus our weekend programs on the areas where the children and teenagers need the most support. Typically we have twenty to thirty participants per program.
Pachar is also the home to over 75 sport climbing routes, therefore we also want to provide the locals with the opportunity to explore a new sport that is so close to their home.
Leadership Club
We offer an annual leadership club for a group of fifteen teenagers currently enrolled in secondary school in Urubamba. Over the course of the school year, we have bi-monthly meetings where different community leaders share their knowledge on a variety of topics including, but not limited to: teamwork, leadership styles, communication and listening skills, and sustainability and regeneration. We supplement our in-class meetings with weekend excursions such as hiking and climbing and visits to small businesses and environmental projects nearby. Through these hands-on experiences, our participants learn more about themselves and their communities.
These programs are run on 100% donations. By supporting Valley Camp with a monetary contribution, you are allowing children and teenagers in the Andes access to new experiences, alternative education, and support in their personal growth.
“I love Valley Camp because it teaches children that they are the future of a society that grows in values, that they take care of their natural environment, and contribute to society. Valley Camp makes me feel free with my differences and virtues. Valley Camp is safe and fun.”
– Giuseppe, Camp Leader