Picaflor House Mission
To empower children in rural Peru by providing access to holistic education, nutritional support, and extracurricular activities in a safe and nurturing environment, enabling them to reach their full potential and break the cycle of poverty.
Vision
To create a community where every child has the opportunity to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, becoming confident and capable contributors to a brighter, self-sustaining future for their families and society.
Who we are
Picaflor House Children's Project Peru is located in the village of Oropesa, just outside Cusco. Established in 2010 by Globalteer, a UK-registered non-profit charity. Additionally, in 2011 Picaflor House registered locally as a Peruvian NGO.
Picaflor House was founded from a need to provide a safe place for children to go outside of school hours. This is a big problem in Cusco where parents work long hours to be able to financially provide for their families.
In mountain villages like Oropesa, many of the children would not eat lunch and would often be found on the streets after school as their parent would be working. This leaves the children in a vulnerable and unsafe situation. Picaflor House provides a place for the children to go and also relieves the burden of older children becoming carers of their siblings.
The project provides academic education, a variety of other activities and nutritional lunch and snack to children ageing from 3 - 14.
How it all began
Jim Elliott, the founder of Globalteer, first built a school in Cambodia called Grace House in memorium of his grandmother. When Jim moved to Peru, he found that there was also a similar need here. Many kids would be wandering the streets in the afternoons when school finished while parents were still at work. Therefore, he decided to replicate the success he had in Cambodia with a children's project in Peru.
The small mountain town of Oropesa became the site for Picaflor because in farming areas like these they are in need of the most support. With a welcoming community and avid interest from parents, we started in one small classroom hosted by the Oropesa public school. Eventually, we were able to move to a place of our own and grew into what we are today. You can learn more about our history here.
What keeps us going
We have five permanent teaching staff and two cooks who are the foundation to Picaflor House and their continued efforts keep the school an engaging place for our students. Countless volunteers have made meaningful contributions by spending their time teaching the kids or making improvements to our grounds. We would not be where we are today without them. Our school is run completely on donations from the global community.
Why "Picaflor"?
In Spanish Picaflor means hummingbird. We chose this to symbolize our school because there are always many hummingbirds around the garden. They are considered scared in the Andeas and will bring love to the person who is in their presence.
Organizational Goals for Picaflor House
Holistic Child Development
Provide a comprehensive curriculum that supports academic learning, life skills, and personal development.
Offer extracurricular activities like arts, music, sports, and cultural education to foster creativity and self-expression.
Health and Well-Being
Ensure children have access to nutritious meals and basic healthcare services to support their physical well-being.
Promote hygiene and health education to instill lifelong healthy habits.
Community Engagement
Build strong relationships with local families to encourage their active participation in their children’s education.
Collaborate with local schools, organizations, and authorities to enhance program impact and sustainability.
Empowerment Through Education
Provide children with the tools and resources they need to excel academically and prepare for future opportunities.
Provide literacy classes and support rural communities through our mobile library.
Cultural Preservation and Awareness
Incorporate local traditions, languages, and customs into program activities to strengthen cultural identity and pride.
Foster intercultural exchanges to broaden perspectives and understanding among children and staff.
Sustainability and Growth
Develop long-term funding strategies to ensure the program’s stability and expansion.
Train and retain skilled staff who are committed to the mission and values of Picaflor House.
Monitoring and Evaluation
Regularly assess program effectiveness through measurable outcomes and feedback from stakeholders.
Continuously improve services based on evaluation results to meet evolving community needs.
