Our Beginnings

In May 2008, Amantani collaborated with their Peruvian counterparts in order to address the need of an adequate education for young people in rural areas of Cusco. This partnership began when Fred Branson went to volunteer in Amantani's orphanage.

“In November 2006, I went travelling through South America with two friends Simon and Tom. In our final month, we volunteered in Amantani’s orphanage, helping to care for abandoned babies and toddlers. I haven't met anyone who, on visiting this place, wasn't completely blown away by everything that goes on here. And I was no different. The founders, Maria and Pilar, were hugely inspirational in their complete dedication to these amazing children who each had their own sad story. They were also very generous to us, both with their time and their knowledge. This, coupled with our moments in the orphanage, gave us a far more profound experience of Peru than we were afforded in the other countries we visited. It was a crash course in Peruvian society, its inner workings and the reasons why so many Peruvian children found themselves in orphanages.

Our greatest insight came on the final day of this trip, when we visited Ccorca, a mud-hutted community one hour from Cusco. This time, Rocio, a teacher with 20 years experience in the community’s kindergarten, was on hand to tell us stories of domestic violence, alcoholism, emigration and exploitation. All root causes for the abandonment of children that we witnessed in Cusco itself.

Six months later I went back and we began talking with the local community, parents and teachers. We heard about the vast distances children had to walk to get to school and we decided to help the community do something about it. The community donated a disused building, the parents painted the walls and we put in the bunk beds. That's how the first boarding house began.

Since returning from that second trip, I have been completely overwhelmed by the generosity of people willing to support these children. This team began with a small group of trustees and has very quickly spread to include a large number of people offering their support in various ways."

Fred Branson
Founder of Amantani UK