Socorro married when she was 15 years old and became a mother to five children. She was completely dependent on her husband's income, which did not fully support the family. Through Heifer Peru, Socorro learned about agroecology and received the gift of ducks. The family's income and living conditions improved as she applied the knowledge she gained through Heifer's trainings.
Families in Peru are expanding their coffee farms to include livestock and vegetables. These successful diversified production systems give farm families additional sources of income, making them more resilient to climate situations.
Heifer Peru's Communications and Research Assistant Jessica Ford shares her experience visiting a workshop in Cusco where eight local women's groups learned how to use spinning machines which they will use to increase their incomes, a great example of Heifer at work on the Theory of Change.
When the La Prosperidad cooperative passed on the gift of guinea pigs in Peru's Chirinos District, 520 families gathered to be a part of the special day. The ceremony featured music, dancing and happy families who were excited to share gifts of food and income security.
The coffee cooperative, La Prosperidad de Chirinos, held a celebration in Cajamarca, Peru, for the Passing on the Gift® (POG) ceremony on World Food Day, October 16, 2012. Thirty coffee producer families who had received guinea pigs through Heifer Peru six months before shared 210 guinea pigs with new families.
Dolores Delgado, from Peru's Huachacay community, was recognized as a 2012 Golden Talent Award winner for her exemplary work in guinea pig breeding. The association she formed now has 36 members, both men and women. Dolores' "all or nothing" philosophy is an inspiration for many in her community.
Two alpaca breeders, who are participants in Heifer Peru's alpaca biodiversity project, won awards for the high caliber of their animals at the first-ever Paqocha Raymi Alpaca Festival. See footage from the festival.
In Peruvian communities, there is still a strong effort to preserve ancestral heritage. Ayni and Minka are Incan practices and traditions that represent and encourage the ideas of sharing workloads, helping others and cooperation–just like the Full Participation cornerstone of Heifer International’s 12 Cornerstones of Just and Sustainable Development. 
Ripple Effect Images, an organization of journalists that produce high-quality audiovisual materials to share the reality of women in the world, visited Heifer Peru from October 22-29, 2012. The organization focuses specifically on the ways women seek development, especially as they deal with climate change.
At Heifer Peru, we have strategically considered the inclusion of information and communication technologies, or ICTs, for the development of campesino communities. We believe that its use decreases the inequity gap in access to up-to-date information, which can generate the capacity that is needed to begin self-sustained social and economic development of people. Thus, we look to ICTs to help improve the quality of life of people in the most vulnerable sectors.
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