The community of Yurac Yacu is made up of the highest parts of two municipalities. It is a high-altitude indigenous farming community situated at 3650 m elevation, at the base of the Cordillera Blanca Mountains. The community has been struggling with high levels of poverty and very low levels of education especially amongst women. A main goal of the community association has been to develop economic opportunities in the community so that the young people will not feel compelled to go to the cities to improve their lives.

Goals of the Project:
• To support education in the community
• To support economic opportunities especially for women and youth in the community
• To provide access to resources such as computers with an internet connection and a library in the community
• To support community members in benefiting from mountain based tourism in the region

Main activities:
• Construction of the Yurac Yacu Community Centre, housing a preschool, library, computer space, a café serving tourists, a local guides office and a work space for the Yurac Yacu Women’s knitting cooperative.
• Supported the Yurac Yacu preschool for children from 3 to 6 years of age, summer school and summer camp for school aged children
• Provided access to books, computers and the internet
• Provided employment opportunities primarily for women in the Yurac Yacu Café.
• Supported a women’s knitting cooperative, Club de Mujeres Yurac Yacu, helping women to build entrepreneurial skills in producing and marketing their knitted products.
• Ongoing support of the preschool

Results:
• Completion of construction of the Yurac Yacu Community Centre has provided a space for the preschool, library media center, café and women’s cooperative. It has also provided a space for community meetings and events.
• Graduates of the preschool have been successful in public school. Some of them are now graduating from high school. Levels of literacy in the community have risen.
• The Café provides seasonal employment and skill development for about 10 women each year.
• The women in the knitting coop have grown their skills in designing and producing knitted goods for the tourist market. They have developed marketing skills and take their products to markets as far away as Lima.