Imagine this: You arrive in the lush Andes mountains of Cajamarca. The air is crisp, the landscape breathtaking, and the warmth of our partner-hosts envelops you. They welcome you into their lives, sharing the challenges and triumphs of their community and projects. For five days, you work side by side, learning about Indigenous culture and how local development programs are addressing social and environmental challenges. You leave Cajamarca not as a stranger but as part of something bigger.

Then, it’s off to the bustling city of Chiclayo. The colorful markets, lively streets, and warm hospitality will captivate you. Here, you’ll meet changemakers whose progressive projects are shaping the city’s future. You’ll witness their resilience, exchange stories, and gain new perspectives on urban challenges in Peru.

Finally, in Zaña, you’ll feel time slow down. This small town, with its rich history and serene valley, has been the heart of Heart-Links’ partnerships for over 20 years. Staying at a solidarity hostel, you’ll share meals and laughter with community members and contribute to projects that are deeply rooted in trust and collaboration.

This journey isn’t about sightseeing—it’s about seeing the world differently. It’s about understanding the interconnectedness of our lives and building relationships that transcend borders. Through dancing, shared meals, and heartfelt conversations, you’ll find yourself growing alongside the people you meet.

Who Should Join?
This experience is for anyone ready to explore their own capacity for creating change. Whether you’re passionate about social justice, curious about new cultures, or seeking to connect with like-minded individuals, this trip will leave a lasting impression on your heart and mind.

Here’s what you’ll gain:

• Insight into Peru’s social and environmental challenges.
• A deeper understanding of community-led development.
• Opportunities to reflect and exchange ideas with inspiring people.
• Memories of dancing, laughter, and shared hope.

Trip Details

• Dates: 15 days in July 2025.
• Cost: To be announced.
• Application Deadline: January 31, 2025.
• Preparation: Attend three pre-trip gatherings in March, April, and May. Basic Spanish is recommended but not required.

Eligibility
If you’re over 18, in good health, and sensitive to social justice issues, we’d love to hear from you. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

How to Apply
Email us at info@heart-links.org with your questions or fill out our application form. Applications are due by February 2025.

Take the First Step
This is more than a trip—it’s a chance to connect with your values, make lifelong friendships, and become part of a global movement of changemakers. Ready to explore what’s possible? Let us show you a Peru that will change your life.

Join us on this journey. Apply today!

The new dealine is February 29.

Click here for trip application.

Don’t miss this chance to

• Explore your own interest in creating change
• Learn about Peru’s social and environmental issues
• Experience a new culture and community
• Share your talents and reflect with like-minded people
• Join a growing movement of changemakers
• Volunteer with Heart-Links or your community

Trip Details

Dates: 15 days in June.

Cost: Our trip fee is $1,500. This covers a trip leader, group translator, accommodations, meals and ground transportation during the trip. A small needs-based bursary may be available. Participants pay for their own Toronto-Lima flights, health insurance and domestic flights within Peru (total estimated cost between $1,500 and $2,000). Flight arrangements will be booked with Ellison Travel & Tours, TICO registration 2392471.

Preparation Requirements: You must attend three preparation and planning gatherings (Saturdays in April and May). While not mandatory, basic Spanish is highly recommended.

Eligibility: Participants should be

• Interested in and sensitive to social justice issues in developing countries
• Willing to volunteer with Heart-Links
• In good overall health and fitness
• 18 years of age or older

*Exceptions to these requirements may be made, on a case-by-case basis, at the discretion of the trip committee.

How to Apply

• Contact info@heart-links.org if you would like to meet or ask questions before applying
• Complete our application form by February 29, 2024

Itinerary

5 nights in Cajamarca: We will fly from Lima to Cajamarca, in Peru’s Andes mountains. Our partner-hosts will share with us about Indigenous culture and social and environmental issues the region faces. Participants will devote three days to accompanying a program run by one of our partner agencies.

4 nights in Chiclayo: Following a breathtaking bus ride out of the mountains, we will arrive in the bustling city of Chiclayo. We will be exposed to the political, social and economic realities of life in the city, while spending time with one of the projects by our inspiring and progressive partner agencies.

4 nights in Zaña: The Zaña Valley is a slower-paced small-town experience that will include visiting Heart-Links’ friends who have been our partners for more than 20 years. We will stay with at one partner agency’s solidarity hostel and share meals with our other Zaña partner as well as spending time with one of their projects.

*Itinerary subject to minor changes. Participants will be invited to contribute ideas about how to spend flex time in each location. Some options are exploring local archaeology and beautiful hiking. Participants are welcome to extend the trip to see more of the country on their own.

Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to visit the communities Heart-Links’ partners work with in Cajamarca, Chiclayo and Zaña.

This trip can be life-changing in the best way.

One alum told us that her trip to Peru prompted her to leave the private sector and start a career in fundraising for non-profits that advance women’s education. She completed a Master’s degree in Diversity, Equity and Social Justice and continues to support the work of Heart-Links.

This is one memory that stayed with her:

One evening while in Zaña, after dinner, our group took a walk down to the river to see the bridge to La Otra Banda. I was amazed that this bridge was used regularly. It was a great feat of engineering to use natural materials in the area, but it seemed so unsafe.

As we explored the area, took photographs or sketched, I watched the activity at the river. Horses were being brought for water, a truck was being washed and a group of small children were having their bedtime wash. I was impacted by the idea of water—how we take it for granted in Canada.

To this day, I am grateful when I turn on the shower in the morning and hot water comes out, when I pour a glass of water from my fridge dispenser with ice cubes at the ready. The Solidarity Trip made real for me, concepts of abundance in Canada. Once you see the value of a local river with your own eyes, it stays with you and changes you.

Join us this June for an unforgettable 15-day adventure in solidarity with communities in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca, in northern Peru. Meet the amazing people Heart-Links works with in each location and exchange views and experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the challenges Peruvians face and their work to build community, pursue social justice and protect the environment.

This trip is right for you if you’d like to

• Experience a new culture and community
• Learn about Peru’s social and environmental issues
• Explore your own interest in creating change
• Join a growing movement of changemakers
• Volunteer with Heart-Links or your community

Learn more about our Solidarity Trip here.

How to Apply

• Contact info@heart-links.org if you would like to meet or ask questions before applying
• Complete our application form by February 15, 2024.

Itinerary

5 nights in Cajamarca: We will fly from Lima to Cajamarca, in Peru’s Andes mountains. Our partner-hosts will share with us about Indigenous culture and social and environmental issues the region faces. Participants will devote three days to accompanying a program run by one of our partner agencies.

4 nights in Chiclayo: Following a breathtaking bus ride out of the mountains, we will arrive in the bustling city of Chiclayo. We will be exposed to the political, social and economic realities of life in the city, while spending time with one of the projects by our inspiring and progressive partner agencies.

4 nights in Zaña: The Zaña Valley is a slower-paced small-town experience that will include visiting Heart-Links’ friends who have been our partners for more than 20 years. We will stay with at one partner agency’s solidarity hostel and share meals with our other Zaña partner as well as spending time with one of their projects.

*Itinerary subject to minor changes. Participants will be invited to contribute ideas about how to spend flex time in each location. Some options are exploring local archaeology and beautiful hiking. Participants are welcome to extend the trip to see more of the country on their own.

Flight arrangements will be booked with Ellison Travel & Tours
TICO registration 2392471

Apply Now!

Join us this June for an unforgettable 3-week adventure in solidarity with communities in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca, in northern Peru. Meet the amazing people Heart-Links works with in each location and exchange views and experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the challenges Peruvians face and their work to build community, pursue social justice and protect the environment.

This trip is right for you if you’d like to

• Experience a new culture and community
• Learn about Peru’s social and environmental issues
• Explore your own interest in creating change
• Join a growing movement of changemakers
• Volunteer with Heart-Links or your community

More Information about our annual Solidarity Trip can be found here.

How to Apply

• Contact info@heart-links.org if you would like to meet or ask questions before applying
• Complete our application form by February 28, 2023.

Itinerary

7 nights in Cajamarca: We will fly from Lima to Cajamarca, in Peru’s Andes mountains. Our partner-hosts will share with us about Indigenous culture and social and environmental issues the region faces. Participants will devote four days to accompanying a program run by one of our partner agencies.

7 nights in Chiclayo: Following a breathtaking bus ride out of the mountains, we will arrive in the bustling city of Chiclayo. We will be exposed to the political, social and economic realities of life in the city, while spending time with one of the projects by our inspiring and progressive partner agencies.

7 nights in Zaña: The Zaña Valley is a slower-paced small town experience that will include visiting families and Heart-Links’ friends who have been our partners for more than 20 years. Our Heart-Links’ partners in Zaña are working towards empowering children, youth and women in this region.

Itinerary subject to minor changes. Participants will be invited to contribute ideas about how to spend 1–2 flex days in each location. There will be time for exploring local archaeology and for beautiful hiking. Participants are welcome to extend the trip to see more of the country on their own.

Flight arrangements will be booked with Ellison Travel & Tours
TICO registration 2392471

That was the sentiment expressed by one of our partners during Heart-Links’ recent and first-ever Solidarity Trip Reunion. Last Saturday, alumni of our Solidarity and Work/Awareness Trips connected by zoom with some of the people they’d met during those visits to share memories of their time together and what it meant to each of them.

We also talked about our lives today and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in our communities.

Friends from our partner organizations in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca spoke about their memories of sharing their work and their daily lives with visitors from Canada, noting that such exchanges have strengthened their organizations and enriched their work. Delicia Romero recalled that she has never missed a single one, from the very first visits led by Sister Janet Zadorsky in the 1990s to the 2018 Solidarity Trip—the last before the pandemic hit.

Zaña artist Dimas Gil also dropped by to say hello, as did Lucho and Cristina and family, tuning in from the hostel where trip participants often stay.

For the Canadian visitors, the trips have also had a profound impact. Whether working in a community kitchen, helping to build a community-designed playground or climbing a sacred mountain in Cajamarca, trip participants said they learned as much about themselves and their communities in Canada as they did about the people and places they visited.

Several participants said they were awakened to “the power of community,” a lesson that led them to greater community involvement on their return home. Susan Price, a librarian herself, was especially impressed by the work of the Rural Libraries Network. “They’re exactly what libraries should be,” she said. For other participants, the trip informed or inspired their career choices.

Concern about the ravages caused in Peru by the pandemic was top of mind. One of our partners is currently recovering from the illness. Another had to miss the reunion because she was busy trying to buy oxygen for sick relatives and to get a friend into the overcrowded ICU. In Cajamarca, the virus has now spread to the remote mountain villages. The hardship and pain the pandemic is causing our partners, their families and friends and their communities was clear.

But the affection among these old acquaintances and the joy of jointly revisiting significant moments in their lives was also palpable. It’s one reason Heart-Links is finding ways like this so we can listen to and learn from each other and express our solidarity even when in-person visits are not possible.

The Heart-Links board of directors is part of this effort, too. Our directors give generously of their time and talents to make a difference, a change for the better, in this world of ours. They have chosen to do their part by connecting with our partners in Peru and working with them to improve life in their communities.

Through our new Meet Our Board series, we’d like to introduce you to the people who make up this amazing team.

“Heart-Links would not exist without the efforts of a great many people.”
—Louise Vandenbosch, past chair of the board

Nathalie Kroeker joined the Heart-Links board last May. A recent graduate of Peace and Conflict Studies, she comes from a family that values community involvement highly. In fact, she found out about Heart-Links through her mum, who works closely with Pillar Non-Profit Network, to which Heart-Links also belongs.

Nathalie was drawn to Heart-Links’ mission of building cross-cultural relationships. “We’re in a globalized world, but communities are still so important,” she says. “We need to connect ethically, openly with communities across the world . . . Community is not just geographic.”

During her first AGM with Heart-Links (held by videoconference), Nathalie was impressed by our Peruvian partners’ resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also struck by the similarities between communities here and there. “Having the people from Peru taking part in our call was amazing,” she says. “The sense of family was really there . . . You can tell that they’re doing good work.”

On-the-ground experience with peace-work organizations in Bosnia and Guatemala has prepared Nathalie well for building solidarity and financial support for Heart-Links’ work. “It’s so essential right now,” she says, “to be able to continue to support our partners.”

As part of our Solidarity Trip Committee, she will be looking into how to continue to make connections between Canada and Peru even when face-to-face visits are not possible.

“For me what’s really powerful is having the chance to build relationships with people who you normally wouldn’t,” she says. “Even with language barriers and living in different circumstances, it’s amazing how much you can learn and connect with people despite those differences.”

We couldn’t agree more. Thank you, Nathalie, for joining our board of directors, and welcome to the Heart-Links family!

Like many other organizations and businesses and like you yourselves, Heart-Links has taken steps to help slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep ourselves and the people we come into contact with safe.

We were very sad to have to cancel our 2020 Solidarity Trip, which was to leave in late June. The Solidarity Trip is key to Heart-Links’ mission to raise awareness about global issues and help develop good global citizens. We had a wonderful group of travellers eager to meet Heart-Links’ partners in Peru and walk in solidarity with the communities they serve.

Despite these hard decisions, it is heartening to see so many Canadians doing their part to flatten the curve and offering support to people in our local communities who need it. We encourage you also to remember the people around the world who are facing this pandemic, often with far fewer resources than we have in Canada.

In Peru, COVID-19 shot from 1 to 263 cases in just two weeks. Despite a nationwide quarantine, as of March 23, cases numbered 395, with 36 hospitalizations and 5 deaths. Lambayeque province, where many of Heart-Links’ partners work, reports 8 confirmed cases. With only 236 ICU beds in the entire country, the healthcare system is scrambling to prepare. To make matters worse, several areas of Peru, including the Zaña Valley, are also battling outbreaks of dengue.

We realize that here at home, people are dealing with increased demands and often very difficult circumstances. We also know many people want to help out where they can.

If you would like to show your solidarity and help our partners in Peru help people in need in their communities, consider making a donation.

We have to keep our physical distance, but there are still ways to reach out to each other. Making a donation to Heart-Links is one.

In solidarity.

Join us for an unforgettable 3-week adventure in solidarity with communities in Zaña, Chiclayo and Cajamarca, in northern Peru. Meet the amazing people Heart-Links works with in each location and exchange views and experiences. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the challenges Peruvians face and their work to build community, pursue social justice and protect the environment.

This trip is right for you if you’d like to

• Experience a new culture and community
• Learn about Peru’s social and environmental issues
• Explore your own interests in creating change
• Join a growing movement of changemakers
• Volunteer with Heart-Links or your community

More Information about our annual Solidarity Trip can be found here.

How to Apply

• Contact info@heart-links.org if you would like to meet or ask questions before applying
• Complete our application form by December 31, 2019

Itinerary

7 nights in Cajamarca: We will fly from Lima to Cajamarca, in Peru’s Andes mountains. Our partner-hosts will share with us about Indigenous culture and social and environmental issues the region faces. Participants will devote four days to accompanying a program run by one of our partner agencies.

7 nights in Chiclayo: Following a breathtaking bus ride out of the mountains, we will arrive in the bustling city of Chiclayo. We will be exposed to the political, social and economic realities of life in the city, while spending time with one of the projects by our inspiring and progressive partner agencies.

7 nights in Zaña: The Zaña Valley is a slower-paced small town experience that will include visiting families and Heart-Links’ friends who have been our partners for more than 20 years. Our Heart-Links’ partners in Zaña are working towards empowering children, youth and women in this region.

Itinerary subject to minor changes. Participants will be invited to contribute ideas about how to spend 2 flex days in each location. There will be time for exploring local archaeology and for beautiful hiking. Participants are welcome to extend the trip to see more of the country on their own.

Flight arrangements will be booked with Ellison Travel & Tours
TICO registration 2392471

WHEN: August 10, 2019, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 7 p.m. Dinner courses will follow at approximately 8 p.m. Guests are welcome to mingle, linger, enjoy the music, beverages and Latin Love until 11 p.m.

WHERE: The Tea Lounge, 268 Piccadilly Street, London, ON N6A 1S4 (View Map)

PURCHASE TICKETS ONLINE OR IN PERSON AT THE TEA LOUNGE:
Wednesday & Thursday:  11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Friday & Saturday:  11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Here’s what’s in store:

• INCREDIBLE MEXICAN CUISINE by IVANO POBLANO:
  Enjoy 5 incredible courses all hand-made, all fresh, all authentic! Don’t let the fact that Ivano Poblano operates out of a food truck fool you: this man practises true food artistry that honours his cultural roots as well as the foodie’s delight in quality fresh cuisine. Originally from Mexico, Ivan blends the dishes he learned to make from his mother with his talent for crafting brand new creations. “I make all my food from scratch . . . I use my Mexican roots,” he says. “When Mexican people come, they say to me, ‘I’ve never had something like this, even in Mexico!’ But they [still] feel like it’s Mexican food.”

• Meet HEART-LINKS LAZOS DE CORAZÓN, which this Latin Love evening supports:
  As our special guest, Heart-Links will share a short introduction with images that connect you to the projects Heart-Links supports in education, leadership training, women’s empowerment and health, among others. You may even feel inspired to consider the upcoming 2020 Solidarity Trip to northern Peru, and walk in solidarity with people from another part of the world!

• TEA & LATIN-INSPIRED TEA MARGARITAS by The Tea Lounge & beTeas:
  There is nothing a tea sommelier loves more than making new creative & delicious tea-inspired infusions to match authentic cuisine creations! Two special tea margaritas will be available at this Latin Love dining event!

• MUSIC (we’ll make you want to dance or, at the very least, bop in your seat!):
  A key thing Michelle and Ivan share is a love of music and dancing . . . and no “Latin Love” party is complete without a spicy soundtrack of Latin music. Our space may be cozy and intimate but there is plenty of room for the odd hip or shoulder pop!

Enjoy homemade fresh, authentic Mexican food, excellent tea & tea-infused cocktails while supporting an amazing London-based organization that is making a real difference in Peru.

There will be only one seating for this Latin Love Experience, to a maximum of 30 seats. Book your spot early so you don’t miss out! THIS EVENT IS VEGETARIAN with VEGAN OPTIONS. All dishes are gluten-free.