La Casa de Acogida Mantay

La Casa de Acogida Mantay is home to approximately 15 Peruvian mothers between the ages of 11 and 18. Since its founding in 2000, Mantay has been home to over 145 minors (mothers and children). True to Peruvian statistics, most, if not all, of the mothers have been victims of rape and sexual violence. Although there are several shelters in the Cusco area serving women in need, Mantay is the only one of its kind. Instead of being merely a temporary shelter offering a roof and a hot meal, Mantay is a home.

At Mantay, women are given a new life. The mothers, many of whom have never learned to read, are given a proper education. Professors at Mantay tutor the mothers daily since, due to their circumstances, they are unable to attend traditional school. During school, the children of the mothers are cared for in the home's guardería (“nursery”). A psychologist visits the home regularly to work with both mothers and children. In addition, the mothers are taught leather-working in the home’s workshop, giving them a skill that can provide them with a means of income after leaving the home. Perhaps most importantly, Mantay operates under a strict “no violence” policy. The home is often the first place these women have ever been where they feel truly safe.

Mantay is taking the first steps towards decreasing the prevalence of rape in Peru: providing assistance to the victims while giving them the education and vocational training they need to escape poverty. While volunteering at Mantay in April of 2009, Victoria witnessed firsthand the remarkable influence the home has on the mothers who live there. Through our project, we hope to provide a much needed educational resource for the women and children of Mantay and help stop the cycle of sexual violence against women in Peru.

To learn more about Mantay, visit their website at http://mantay.org


Victoria and Alexandra, age 4 months. April, 2009