Living Heart aims  to improve the lives of Andean women and children in the Sacred Valley, near Cusco, Peru.

Their programmes combine educational strategies, nutritional and health advice, include family planning support, and conservation education, with the purpose of promoting sustainable development and improving the quality of life for the Andean people. This work is particularly aimed at benefiting the lives of disadvantaged children.

Nutritionist, Sonia Newhouse, founded Living Heart and Hearts Café which helps to fund the organisation's work.  Previously Sonia had lived for 2 years in Huaran, amongst the poorest and largest indigenous farming community in the valley.  Sonia got to know the indigenous women well and to understand their culture and she became aware of the inequalities between the sexes.  The poverty, unbalanced diet, illness, and lack of educational facilities, meant a lack of opportunities for the highland village children. The official language of Peru is Spanish yet the highland communities mainly speak only Quechua, which gives the children limited prospects of utilising the inadequate education that is available in the farming communities. Sonia started working with senior respected women and got to understand their own needs and the needs for their children.

Living Heart's current projects include assisting with:

- the provision of breakfasts for the children;

- assisting schools with supplies and educational activities, art and theatre classes and providing seeds and plants so schools can create organic gardens;

- organizing doctor visits to communities, providing a local nurse and assisting with family planning;

- raising funds towards the building of a home for orphaned children and a home for abused women and children;

- repairing the local school roof and the stairs for improved safety.

Donations received through The Intrepid Foundation in the months ahead will help support these much needed projects.