Girls’ Education & Empowerment

Our PH Scholars program provides disadvantaged girls in Peru with complete educational scholarships for university and full psychosocial support. This combination gives our girls the knowledge and confidence to become strong leaders who will go out and change the world.

We provide our scholars with complete educational scholarships to attend public and private universities in Peru. We provide them with ongoing psychosocial support as needed.

We understand the importance self-confidence for our scholars in Peru and we maintain a strong focus on personal growth and character development. Our girls receive ongoing support from our program psychologist, academic advisor, program director, and program mentors who help our girls overcome obstacles and make the best decisions and take the necessary steps to achieve their dreams and vision for a brighter future.

Our Founder

Adopted in 1992 from Cusco, Peru, Ana Dodson returned to her birth country for the first time as an 11-year-old in 2003. Deeply moved by the poverty she witnessed, Ana decided to take action upon her return home to Colorado.

At age 11, Ana founded Peruvian Hearts as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Her story drew national attention and the recognition she received helped establish a network of support for Peruvian Hearts.

Ana was selected as a CNN Hero in 2007 and named one of People Magazine’s Heroes Among Us in 2008. At age 17, she spoke at the UN Headquarters in New York on the International Day of Peace and in 2009 at age 18 received a Caring Award and was inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.

Her story has been shared in publications such as National Geographic for Kids, Time for Kids, and two children’s books have been authored about Ana’s inspiring story. Peruvian Hearts and Ana were featured in the 2014 documentary film about Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, Children of the Light.

Our Guiding Principles

We advocate passionately, but responsibly to fulfill our mission.

Fulfilling our mission requires careful stewardship of our funds.

We demand ethical behavior of ourselves and our partners.

We value and respect cultural differences.

We value, encourage, and support community involvement in our program and projects.

As a valued PH supporter, we want you to understand the guiding principles we believe in and put in practice. We work each day to accomplish our mission and create meaningful and lasting change in Peru.