Our Story

Co-founders Petit and Franz moved to Peru in the 1990s

They have spent the last decades working to alleviate extreme poverty in Peru’s rural
communities by providing love, care and education through the Sol y Luna Foundation.

You might look at the rural houses in the Sacred Valley and think life there must be simple, even idyllic. However, the harsh reality is that all too often extreme poverty breeds violence, alcoholism and abuse. With no sense of hope, the light goes out in childrens’ eyes… At Sol y Luna, we create positive change by giving two things that all children deserve: love and education.
— Petit Miribel

Timeline

2010

Hotel Sol y Luna expanded, opening Deluxe and Premium casitas, whilst the Sol y Luna School began started offering full primary education
2010

2015

2015: The foundation grew to include Paqari, the centre for disabled children

2016

Hotel Sol y Luna added a new heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and gym

2017

The first Sol y Luna students graduated from the school

2018

The Sol y Luna Home opened its doors, providing a safe and loving home for students who have suffered violence or neglect

2019

  • Petit and Franz’s eldest child, Thomas, graduated from the Sol y Luna School at the age of 17
  • The foundation launched Roots & Wings, a programme to support graduates from the Sol y Luna School in their further studies (including International Baccalaureate and University degrees)

2020

Petit and Franz’s youngest child, Melanie, graduated from the Sol y Luna School at the age of 17

2022

Four Sol y Luna students are continue their studies thanks to support from the Roots & Wings programme: Nery, Kusi and Carolina are studying at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in Lima, and Mateo is studying car mechanics at SENATI in Cusco

2009

Having spent the past decade supporting local public schools, the foundation finally opened its own school. The Sol y Luna School began by offering education for kindergarten, and the first few years of primary school

2000

Hotel Sol y Luna opened with 14 casitas. The reason for creating the hotel was to raise funds via reservations for the Sol y Luna Foundation

1998

Petit and her husband Franz move to the Sacred Valley and together create the Sol y Luna Foundation.
Petit arrives in Peru to work in the mining industry in Lima.

Board of Trustees

Dedicated to the belief that every child deserves an education
and to grow up in a safe and loving environment.

The Sol y Luna Foundation is an officially registered charity bringing about positive change by
providing education, care and support for Peruvian children from backgrounds of extreme poverty.

Sol y Luna Foundation Ambassadors

AMBASSADOR
Jean-Bruno Gillot

Jean-Bruno has lived in France, Spain, the USA, Italy and now Brazil. He believes that identity, authenticity and meaningful encounters with people from other cultures are key. For him, the Sol y Luna Foundation is the perfect example of how luxury tourism can (and should!) directly help the lives of locals.

AMBASSADOR
Jean-Bruno Gillot
AMBASSADOR
Margrith Schilter

Margrith was delighted to find motivated teachers and happy students when she visited the Sol y Luna School. The experience inspired her here to start a sponsoring a child: to give a child access to a good education that will hopefully lead to a bright future and many opportunities. She is very happy to be playing a positive part in a child’s life.

AMBASSADOR
Margrith Schilter
AMBASSADOR
Alexis Torazza Gazzone

Alexis is the photographer and filmmaker. His creativity, dedication to storytelling and gentle manner bring warmth to any situation, even the most challenging.

AMBASSADOR
Alexis Torazza Gazzone
AMBASSADOR
Maria Jose Gueudet

Maria Jose trained as an architect and a chef before becoming the General Manager of Hotel B, Lima. She has always had an interest and attachment to the Sol y Luna Foundation. Hotel B sponsors Ruth Celina, one of our Roots & Wings students in Lima.

AMBASSADOR
Maria Jose Gueudet
AMBASSADOR
Gonzalo

Gonzalo was born in Argentina, emigrated to France when he was 20, and now lives in Brazil. He discovered the Sol y Luna Foundation through the world of tourism, and has been fortunate to visit the Sol y Luna Foundation several times. In 2023, along with his husband Juan-Bruno, he started sponsoring Flor Lucero.

AMBASSADOR
Gonzalo

Young Ambassadors

YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Melanie Schilter

Melanie was born in Cusco and began studying at the Sol y Luna School aged 5. She graduated in 2020 and is passionate about trail running, muay thai and creative writing. For her, the Sol y Luna Foundation transmits the fundamental values of life: love, respect, solidarity, perseverance and inner peace.

YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Melanie Schilter
YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Thomas Schilter

Thomas is an alpinist, paragliding pilot, unicyclist and Ambassador for The North Face Peru. He was born in Peru and was among the first students at the Sol y Luna School. He is passionate about the work of the Sol y Luna Foundation, and often uses his challenges to raise money for the foundation.

YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Thomas Schilter
YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Lucas Suero

Upon his first visit, Lucas felt tangible feelings of pure happiness within each student - every one of whom has the opportunity to dream big and accomplish things that would otherwise be impossible.

YOUNG AMBASSADOR
Lucas Suero

Sol y Luna Foundation Board Members

TREASURER
Juany Luque

Juany was born in Urubamba and has worked at Sol y Luna since 2012. She started as an assistant in the accounts department, and is now the Head Accountant and Treasurer of the Sol y Luna Foundation. She is passionate about her work and plays a key role in the foundation.

TREASURER
Juany Luque
VICE PRESIDENT
Daniel Posen

Daniel has been involved in the hotel and foundation since the outset. He is motivated by achieving an equilibrium between tourism and the local community, and sees the hotel as the motor behind the foundation.

VICE PRESIDENT
Daniel Posen
PRESIDENT
Petit Miribel

Petit is the founder of the Sol y Luna Foundation and Hotel. She lives on property and has been in the Sacred Valley since the 1990s working to improve the lives of those living in extreme poverty.

PRESIDENT
Petit Miribel

Board members

DIRECTOR
Terry Suero

Terry Suero has visited over 100 countries worldwide. He comes from an Engineering and Business background, and his two passions are travel and psychology. He is a firm believer in leveraging travel and its impact on the psyche to positively transform individuals, families, and groups.

DIRECTOR
Terry Suero
DIRECTOR
Chiara Macchiavello

Founder of Peruvian ethical luxury fashion brand Escvdo, Chiara is a designer, artist, social advocate and working mother. Her work is driven by a desire to safeguard ancient weaving techniques, give value to the expertise of local artisans, and promote a positive social impact with local communities. Chiara has always admired the work of the Sol y Luna Foundation and is proud and honoured to be part of it.

DIRECTOR
Chiara Macchiavello
DIRECTOR
Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell

Christopher Wilmot- Sitwell is one of the owners of cazenove+loyd. The company has been sending happy clients to Sol y Luna since the lodge opened. His son spent 3 months volunteering at the Sol y Luna Foundation in 2022.

DIRECTOR
Christopher Wilmot-Sitwell
DIRECTOR
Carla Suero

Carla Suero has dedicated her life to the improvement of healthcare systems and quality of life for the elderly. She is a mother of two and travels the world with her family because it develops a deep sense of empathy and acceptance. She has a soft spot in her heart for Peru and Incan culture as her children are half Peruvian.

DIRECTOR
Carla Suero
DIRECTOR
Federico Von Sanden

Federico Von Sanden runs a small independent travel operator based out of the UK, Germany and Argentina. He grew up in Buenos Aires and now lives in Hampshire, England, although is usually found exploring the globe. Federico has two children of his own, and is the sponsor of Mariela who lives at the Sol y Luna Home.

DIRECTOR
Federico Von Sanden
DIRECTOR
Kelly Limo

Kelly was born in Cusco. She is a social communicator by profession, and an agent of change by vocation. She discovered her passion for working to support children through education and inclusion. Now, she is able to develop professionally and personally thanks to the motivation of improving the life of each child at the Sol y Luna Foundation.

DIRECTOR
Kelly Limo
DIRECTOR
Sarah Mason

Sarah is the CEO of Mason Rose Private Travel and is based between London and New York. Sarah and her partner Tobey, are the proud sponsors of a little boy named Francisco, who resides full-time at the Sol y Luna Home and studies at the Sol y Luna School.

DIRECTOR
Sarah Mason
DIRECTOR
Gabriel Laing

A BBC journalist by background, Gabriel lived in South America for many years. Her main focus is communication and fundraising for the Sol y Luna Foundation. She spends as much time as possible in Peru, and loves bringing her two boys to share time with the children of the Sol y Luna Foundation.

DIRECTOR
Gabriel Laing
DIRECTOR
John Montgomery

John Montgomery is the co-founder of LANDED, a custom travel company based in Park City, Utah. He and his wife, Erynn, have four daughters--former Sol y Luna students. They sponsor two children at the Sol y Luna School.

DIRECTOR
John Montgomery

The orphanage at Sol y Luna touched my heart like nothing else in a long time. The moment we arrived and met the children I knew I had to do something to help these beautiful children. We spent a morning chatting, seeing their rooms, looking around, playing games, having a snack and making them model aeroplanes which we brought to show them how you can fly around the world and meet wonderful people like them. They were totally engaged and it felt like we were with one big family. The main thing was that everyone was smiling with their hearts. Everyone was happy. You don’t find that sort of happiness everywhere, it’s a rare thing. It makes me very happy now to be part of their family too. Long may it continue. If you can change one life happiness will follow. The team are incredible with the children. The home is totally organised too. Please visit if you can. You will see what I mean.

Maggie Draycott, sponsor of Juan Carlos

In 2016 and 2018 I spent time at the Sol y Luna Foundation and was impacted by the daily work of Petit and her team. In 2019 I started to sponsor Ana Liz, but because of the pandemic I could not visit until August 2022. It was an unforgettable experience not only because Ana Liz is a beautiful and affectionate girl, but also seeing how the Sol y Luna team loves her and takes such good care of her. Three times a year I receive a detailed report with information about her academic progress. Ana Liz and the other children that live in the Sol y Luna Home are very well cared for and enjoy living in a family environment. The children have their bedrooms which they share with other children, a large dining room, kitchen, bathroom and a living room where they can study, read and play. On my recent visit I was able to spend precious time with Ana Liz, including a lunch at her parents house where I was welcomed by her mother and siblings. I feel very happy and proud to be able to form part of the Sol y Luna Foundation. Congratulations to Petit, Kelly and all the team for the daily work they are doing for all these children.

Jean Franken, sponsor of Ana Liz

Our first experience with the school was more than a decade ago; living in Urubamba for a few months, we obtained permission to enroll our daughters. Deep connection resulted from the friendships they made and the care we observed.

Sol y Luna is a place of warmth, safety, learning, and refuge—deeply meaningful to the children and to sponsors.

The children we assist have become part of our extended family. We think of them often, and cherish the recurring updates on their progress. Our involvement in their lives is an honor, one we hope to continue for decades to come.

John Montgomery, sponsor of Maricielo and Aaron

CONTACT US

T. +(51) 984700272
petit@colegiosolyluna.com
Address:
Fundo Huincho Lt. A-5,
Urubamba, Cusco – Perú

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