La Vida has a Sponsor a Child scheme set up with the Villa Maria pre-school in Lima, Peru. We ask for a minimum of one year’s sponsorship, but ideally a commitment of five years to funding a child’s education which will have a significant impact on their education and future prospects.

Villa Maria is a shanty town of over 650,000 people in Lima, Peru. The Villa Maria School was founded in 2004 to offer a quality education to local children and a focal point for the community.  In 2009 there were 70 students enrolled at year end but the school has the capacity for up to 120 pupils.

La Vida has committed to fully supporting 26 very disadvantaged children at the Villa Maria pre-school for the first 5 years of their education.  In 2008 we gave US$7,880 to the school, which principally funded these scholarships but we also funded a new computer lab, library and activities area with new equipment for the school. For more information, take a look at the Facebook group set up by the class - ‘Grupo Becados La Vida Villa Maria‘ where you can see photos and video clips of the school and children.  These are also on our website (www.lavida.org.uk/villamaria). 

In 2009 we set up a scheme whereby individuals can sponsor a child directly for £180 per year or £15 per month. We had 20 sponsors in 2009, meaning 20 more disadvantaged children were able to attend the school. Sponsors receive information on the child they are supporting and regular updates on his or her progress.  We very much hope that our 2009 sponsors will be able to renew their commitment for a further 12 months, and hope that more of you will be able to join the scheme for the first time.  For any more details, please email us at sponsorachild@lavida.org.uk. Many thanks.