Marco Antonio Concha Mendoza's story:

Marco lives with his mother, five siblings, and grandparents, and grew up in the community of Pallata, in the Incan district of Ollantaytambo.

Unfortunately, Marco suffers from family issues, as his father is an alcoholic and causes problems after returning home from a day in the field as an agricultural worker. “My father often kicks us out of our house,” he says. Marco takes comfort in knowing that, now that he is working, he can support his family, when his father is not. “Sometimes I even get to work in adventure tourism in the Inca lands of Machu Picchu,” he says.

Marco’s parents do not have secure work, and thus cannot pay for his studies. He feels privileged to be in this program so that he can later return to Ollantaytambo to help his siblings and give them an opportunity to succeed in life.