Dorm in the Andes Enables Girls to Attend School

She's the First Scholar Vicentina poses near her home in Peru. 

Vicentina and her father pose near their home in the Andes.

We ran into Elizabeth on her way back home from helping her mom at the market. Elizabeth lives in a rural mountain community, and she lives at the dorm during the week to make her commute to school possible.

Mariela poses with her parents outside their home. She lives more than a five hour walk from the closest secondary school; without Sacred Valley Project's dormitory, she would not be able to attend.

She's the First Scholar Nohemi (second from left) poses with her mother and sisters near their home in Peru.

She's the First Scholars Yaneth and Yakeline wait for all the other girls to arrive for a photo shoot with me outside their dorm!

5:30am: Elizabeth wakes up and starts her day. Here, she combs her hair outside the dormitory's upstairs bathroom. The fifteen girls manage to split two bathrooms among all of them! All of the girls' basic needs are supplied by the Sacred Valley Project, from their housing to their uniforms.

6:45 am: This morning, Elizabeth's assigned task is to rinse the dishes, which have already been soaped by one of the other girls. The girls divide all of the household chores to be done in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Flor Nayda's assigned chore this morning is mopping the kitchen.

7am: Elizabeth washes the dish towels from her morning chores on the rooftop of the dormitory. The dorm is nestled in the Andean highlands.

Yakeline in her bunk at the dorm.

A She's the First Scholar polishes her shoes before heading off to school.

7:15 am: Elizabeth locks up her room, which she shares with three other girls, before they all head to school.

7:20am: If Elizabeth didn't live at the dormitory, her walk to school could take six hours or more. As it is, it only takes ten minutes from door to door.

She's the First Scholars walk to school in Peru.

7:25am: Elizabeth enters the school gates a few minutes early, ready for the day to start.

7:45am: Eliabeth gathers with classmates in the courtyard before school begins. The school gathers in lines for morning announcements before heading to class.

Yessenia listens in class -- she receives a scholarship from She's the First that covers both her tuition fees and all the costs involved with living with Sacred Valley Project - room & board, house mothers, mentorship, tutoring sessions and leadership skills.

4pm: Back home at the dorm, Elizabeth chats with her friend Mariela. The girls come from villages all over the area to live in the Sacred Valley Project dorm and attend school in Ollantaytambo.

After school each day, the girls gather to work on their homework together. From left, Mariela, Marisol, Nilda, Elizabeth, Nayda, and Flor Nayda work on various homework assignments.

Peruvian She's the First Scholars Yakeline, Nayda, and Yaneth make cards for STF Scholars in Guatemala!

Peruvian She's the First Scholar Sinforosa makes cards for STF Scholars in Guatemala!

Elizabeth and Nilda look over notes from the day's classes during homework time. 15 girls live in the dorm together and are all in secondary school - the older girls often help the younger girls with their studies.

Elizabeth works on her Algebra homework in the dorm. Only 3 in every 10 Peruvian girls from rural Andean communities enroll into high school. The Sacred Valley Project makes secondary education possible for young, indigenous women from mountain communities who would otherwise not be able to attend school.

7 pm: After almost four hours of homework and lessons, the girls get ready for dinner. Here, Eli lines up with her classmates for the first course of the night: soup!

Marisol serves dinner to Mariela -- this is her evening chore tonight.

9 pm: To round off the day, the girls finish their nightly toilette, including tooth brushing, hair brushing, and showers for half the girls. The students go to bed around 10 pm, ready to wake up and do it all over again the next day.