Who?!

Oye LENA was founded by Stefanie Van Erps and Valérie Demol in 2012. Valérie used to live in Cusco and helped Stefanie to found the project. Valérie returned to Belgium in February 2014. There, she supported the project for two years, after which she decided to spend more time with her family and to take up new challenges.

Stefanie Van Erps (Belgian) and Jenny Giovanni Rojas Ventura (Peruvian co-director and teacher) jointly lead the on-site project with the assistance of:

Hady Claudia Roldan Mendoza (preschool teacher)
Cristhel Rosario Vera Vargas (elementary and secondary school teacher, currently studying psychology)
Isolina Brescia Saavedra (teacher and volunteer coordinator)
Brandon Bautista Delgado (driver; soccer, cycling, and skateboarding teacher)
Diofe García Delgado (cook and cleaning staff)
Edith Luna Huaman (crafts teacher – embroidery, sewing, crocheting – and cleaning staff)
María Antonia Huaman Asto (cleaning staff and assistant preschool teacher)

as well as a team of volunteers and the Belgian non-profit organization ‘Oye LENA Belgium’.

Isolina is the volunteer coordinator and is responsible for the reception, guidance, and evaluation of volunteers and students during their stay. She speaks Spanish and English.

In addition to these permanent staff members, two project coordinators are also present at the project; these are volunteers who stay on the project for at least one year and have relevant work experience.

Administrative Coordinator (Dutch-speaking): This individual is responsible for various administrative tasks, such as managing emails, grant applications, document upkeep, website and social media management. Depending on their education or work experience, this coordinator may also be involved in guiding and evaluating students. These responsibilities are combined with work on the project with the students, depending on their preference.

A responsible physiotherapist is in charge of providing guidance to our children with disabilities, both individually and in groups. The physiotherapist aims to maintain and promote their mobility, muscle strength, balance, and physical self-sufficiency with the goal of improving their quality of life, starting from each individual’s specific life story.

Stefanie Van Erps studied to become a primary school teacher at the Erasmus University College in Jette, Belgium. She has been teaching since January 2007, mainly in special primary education for children with speech and language problems and children with autistic spectrum disorder. She combined work and study in 2009 and obtained an additional Bachelor’s degree in Special Education. After a couple of years working in Belgium, Stefanie decided to go and teach abroad. She followed a postgraduate course on North-South Relations and Development Cooperation in Kortrijk, Belgium.

Afterwards, she went to Peru to work in a school project named Urpi Sonqocha located in Cusco. That is where she met Gilder Anaya Delgado, her future husband. She discovered the town of Curahuasi, south of Machu Picchu, where the current project took form.

Sara Defoor studied Pedagogical science. In August 2015, she came for the first time to Oye LENA for an internship of 6 months and in 2016 she returned as a volunteer for a few months. From February 2017 to August 2021, she officially worked at Oye LENA as class coordinator. She then returned to Belgium, where she continues to support the project until today.

Jenny Giovanni Rojas Ventura graduated with a degree in Early Childhood Education from the Catholic University of Encarnación, Paraguay. Since 2004, she has been dedicated to her passion for education and teaching young children. In 2007, she moved to Argentina, where she started her family. Then, in 2016, she returned to Peru and worked in various educational institutions. She began her work at Oye LENA on January 15, 2022, and as of June 2023, she took on the role of Co-Director in the project.

The Belgian working group was founded in 2014 by some former volunteers. They were keen to continue supporting the project after their volunteer work at Oye LENA. They advertise, look for sponsors and provide information to future volunteers like you.

On 20 July 2022, we became an official non-profit organization (vzw) with Milena Vleminckx-Huybens (active at Oye LENA for 1 year) and Ilse Cayron as directors. They are supported by two permanent volunteers: Sofie Cumps (6 months active on Oye LENA) and Sara Defoor (5 months active on Oye LENA). They help with following up emails, godparents and smaller administrative tasks.

There are several people you can contact if you want more information about the project. They can tell you more about their volunteering experiences, about what you should expect, what you should and should not pack, etc.

Just send an e-mail to: