Traveling is also generating opportunities: VIPAC and Asociación Niños del Arco Iris join forces in the Sacred Valley

At VIPAC we are starting a new alliance with the Asociación Niños del Arco Iris, an organization whose purpose, for more than two decades, has been to provide a comprehensive approach that contributes to the growth and well-being of children in a state of vulnerability in Urubamba. 

This meeting was born from a common vision: to recognize that our presence in a destination can also generate a positive impact. A conviction that brings us closer to a work built to contribute to children through education, health and nutrition, and that today marks the beginning of a shared path.

Behind this union there is a story that deserves to be known. One that is built day by day and that finds in childhood, families and their well-being the center of its purpose.

Health, nutrition and education are key during the first years of life. From this perspective, the Asociación Niños del Arco Iris currently serves 200 children in vulnerable situations and also involves, during the school year, their families.

Her proposal brings together different dimensions of well-being. In the classrooms, the educational model incorporates specialized projects and workshops; In addition to this, pediatric and nutritional evaluations, dental care, psychological support and two meals a day are added.

These actions are part of the same way of understanding childhood: providing tools and conditions that favor learning, physical health, and emotional well-being.

But numbers and services tell only part of the story. The other is discovered in the experience of his team, who carry out this task and see first-hand the impacts and lives of these children over time.

What does it mean for Niños del Arcoiris to accompany a child in a comprehensive way and what changes have you been able to observe throughout this process?

"At Niños del Arco Iris, accompanying our children means guiding and accompanying the development of each student as a complete person, recognizing that their well-being does not depend only on having access to a good education, but also on their health, nutrition, emotions, family environment, cultural identity and offering them opportunities to develop their abilities.

Our work seeks that each girl and boy can grow up with love, respect and trust, feeling seen, safe, valued and capable of building their own life project. 

Throughout this process we have been able to observe changes at the academic level and changes that go much further. We see children who gain self-confidence, express themselves more freely, develop skills to relate to others and discover new skills and talents. We also observed improvements in their caregiving habits, in their participation in school and in the way they relate to others and their environment.

But perhaps one of the most significant changes is when a child begins to say, with their own actions: "I can". When he dares to sing, to ask, to create, to lead, to dream of a profession or a different life.

That is for us the true meaning of integral accompaniment: not to do things for them, but to provide them with the conditions, the tools and the necessary confidence so that they can discover their potential and transform their own history. And when that change happens in a girl or a boy, it also begins to transform their family and, little by little, their entire community."

-Victoria Rodríguez

Fundraising, Partnerships, and Communications Lead at Asociación Niños del Arcoiris.

Visions that meet

More than two decades of experience have allowed the association to consolidate a way of acting based on committed work, permanence, knowledge of its environment and comprehensive care for children thinking about the future.

It is precisely this gaze that finds a point of connection with the way in which VIPAC seeks to relate to the destinations where it is present. For us, tourism can also generate opportunities to contribute to initiatives that are born and grow in the places that are part of each experience. 

In the Sacred Valley we find in the Niños del Arcoiris Association an ally with a history and a vocation that we want to advance. That common will now finds a concrete way to become a reality.

Commitment that turns into action

VIPAC will allocate directly to the Children of the Rainbow Association a value for each ticket to Machu Picchu purchased by its travelers, thus contributing to the economic sustainability and continuity of its programs aimed at children. Likewise, VIPAC will be a bridge to channel other contributions from travelers with purpose and will remain a constant ally of the actions carried out by the Association.

In this way, one of the most emblematic experiences for those who discover Peru takes on an additional dimension: it will also be an opportunity to leave a positive footprint, supporting an initiative dedicated to the well-being of children and their families.

Continuity is especially important in a model designed to be present throughout the school period. Education, nutrition, health prevention and emotional well-being are articulated as part of a process that requires perseverance and follow-up.

It is those who carry out this task day by day who can best explain what the alliance with VIPAC means and what it will allow to continue to make possible.

In what way do you think VIPAC's alliance and contribution will add to the work that Niños del Arco Iris develops?

"We believe that this alliance will allow us to unite two purposes that complement each other: VIPAC's commitment to responsible tourism and the purpose of Niños del Arco Iris to contribute to the well-being and integral development of children and their families. Likewise, their contribution will allow us to strengthen our new projects, aimed at tourism activity in rural areas, opening new opportunities for us to work together with an expert in the sector on a proposal that is a true tool for sustainable development for our communities. We are confident that, by working together, we will be able to continue building experiences that generate value for people, communities and the territory."

-Victoria Rodríguez

Fundraising, Partnerships, and Communications Lead at Asociación Niños del Arcoiris.

Looking to the future

The history of this Association continues to be written together with the children and families of Urubamba, always seeking to expand its reach and strengthen itself through strategic alliances and the solidarity support of travelers. Along the same lines, for VIPAC this union reinforces our commitment to develop sustainable and responsible tourism, marking the beginning of a joint journey that we hope to consolidate in the coming years. 

Traveling allows us to discover places, get closer to other stories and understand Peru from new perspectives. The relationship we build with a destination can also transcend the time we stay in it.

This alliance opens a new stage for us and allows us to support a work that, for more than two decades, has been part of the lives of children and families in the Sacred Valley.

In this way, we continue to build a way of getting to know Peru in which each experience can also become an opportunity to generate a positive impact.