Engineering for Education

If you would like to support the project, you may donate below. If you wish to donate in a different manner please contact our team directly at vhenry(at)smith(dot)edu. For a detailed breakdown of the project, its goals, and its future impact we encourage you to read the complete project proposal. A budget worksheet is included.

All donors should feel free to email us their contact information, as we would love to keep you informed about the project (we will not disclose your information to anyone else). If a donor should choose to share her/his contact information with us, she/he will be provided with regular updates and photos during our time in Peru, as well as a final report on the project upon our return. We will also be happy to do an in person presentation on the project whenever possible.

We sincerely appreciate your support in any capacity as we work to make the library a reality for the women and children of Mantay.

About This Blog

Engineering for Education is a project by two students at Smith College: Victoria Henry '12, and Geneviéve de Mijolla '13. The project aims to promote education and literacy amongst Peruvian woman by constructing a library at La Casa Mantay, a home for teenage mothers in Cusco, Peru. Most of the mothers at Mantay have been victims of sexual violence, and left school due to their circumstances and the Peruvian stigma against pregnant teens. By providing the mothers of Mantay with a much needed educational resource, we hope to help stop the prevalence of sexual violence against poor, uneducated women and girls and help end educational inequality in Peru.

Additionally, the library aims to promote and implement sustainable building practices. Victoria and Genevieve have used knowledge acquired in their Engineering classes at Smith College to create a sustainable, low-energy library design. All construction materials will be bought locally in order to stimulate the Cusco economy, and construction workers assisting in the project will also be local Cusqueños. We believe that building the library sustainably will not only benefit the planet and the Cusco economy, but that exposure to the idea of sustainability will be educational for the residents of Mantay.

About Us

Victoria Henry is a Junior English Major and Engineerign Minor from Taos, NM. She spent a year living in South America and was a past volunteer at Mantay. Her time at the home inspired this project. Despite her fair skin and British name, she thinks she may have her roots in Latin America and can't wait to go back!

Geneviéve de Mijolla is a Sophomore Physics and Engineering Major from Southern France. She's a whiz at programming and a master at functioning on very little sleep. In her spare time she hands out smiles like candy.

Paul Voss is a professor of engineering at Smith College....and also, our amazing advisor for this project!

Official Project Proposal

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