Nestled high in Peru’s Sacred Valley, Huacahuasi is a culturally rich and resilient village, just recently gaining access to running water yet still facing significant barriers to basic healthcare.
Today, residents must walk more than three hours to the nearest clinic in Lares—a journey that has too often led to preventable illness and loss of life. Families continue to struggle with malnutrition, anemia, diabetes, and limited maternal and family planning resources.
With no local medical facility and few emergency response options, only about half of households can reach care when it matters most.
Despite these challenges, the people of Huacahuasi are united by a powerful vision: to create a community-led health clinic that brings consistent, life-saving care closer to home.
With your support, this vision can become a reality—helping the community build a healthier, safer, and more self-determined future
About Huacahuasi
And the need for care closest to home.
Our Vision: Building a Level 1-2 Healthcare Clinic in Huacahuasi
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Step 1. Fundraising
With a signed agreement from Peru’s Ministry of Health, the clinic process is officially underway!
The next crucial step: raising funds for Phase 1 of construction to bring essential healthcare closer to Huacahuasi.
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Step 2. Build the Clinic Plans
We’re committed to transparency at every step. View our clinic blueprints and discover what’s required to move through each phase of the build—turning plans into real, lasting impact.
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Step 3. Build the Health Clinic
From community surveys to a signed agreement with the Ministry of Health, each phase marks real progress toward sustainable healthcare access. Discover the milestones we’ve reached and what’s ahead.
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Step 4. Staff Clinic Full-Time
Operating a Level 1–2 clinic around the clock takes skill, compassion, and collaboration. Discover how our medical providers are building a culture of dignified and compassionate community care, 24 hours a day.
Bringing Healthcare Home to Huacahuasi.
Understanding Huacahuasi’s Health Needs
In 2021, we conducted a demographic census in Huacahuasi as community needs and healthcare issues remained under-documented. In response to this disparity, we surveyed 250 families in the area to better understand their healthcare needs and how SPP could partner with the community to address them. Results of the 2021 survey revealed the complexities of barriers to healthcare access.
Creating Pathways to Care
A lack of variety in community members’ diets contributed to elevated rates of iron-deficient anemia. Limited financial resources meant community members could not pay for transportation to the closest health clinic, which is a three-hour walk through the Andes Mountains. Sisters Project Peru has since moved forward with the understanding that healthcare access requires multidimensional solutions, inspiring our holistic approach to healthcare needs.
Turning Vision into Care
Our approach begins with the goal of building a Level 1-2 health clinic. The clinic will offer basic emergency services, obstetrics, outpatient consultations, diagnostics, and minor surgical services. In just four years, we have gone from investigating health issues in the community to securing a signed agreement from the Peruvian Ministry of Health indicating the clinic will be part of the Peruvian healthcare system.
While we celebrate these accomplishments as important steps in the process, we need your help to make this clinic a reality and bring broader healthcare access to Huacahuasi. Click the link below to donate and hear more clinic updates, and keep reading to learn more about how we approach healthcare access holistically.
What’s Next?
Creating Pathways to Education and Financial Independence:
At Sisters Project Peru, we believe everyone deserves access to education—no matter how remote their community may be. Our mission is to help build that pathway by partnering with scholarship programs to support local students who dream of becoming medical professionals.
During our visits, we’ve met many young women and men who aspire to study medicine and return home to serve their communities. They understand the urgent need for accessible healthcare and want to be part of the long-term solution. By investing in their education, we’re helping create a future where quality care is available close to home.
Our Clinic Build-Out: A Phased Approach
Building a clinic is a major undertaking, and each phase requires careful planning, evaluation, and collaboration. We’re committed to ensuring that every step brings us closer to providing the highest quality care for the community.
Follow along here to stay updated on our progress and see where we are in the project timeline.