Our Story: A Dream That Became a Movement
Hands on Peru was born from the dream of two social entrepreneurs from opposite sides of the world: Rosa Sánchez-Brem and Katie Baric. Although their backgrounds and upbringings were different, they shared a common vision: advancing health equity, empowering communities, and challenging the systemic barriers that perpetuate inequality.
What began as a shared passion for global health has grown into a community-led model of healthcare, education, and economic empowerment in Huanchaco, Peru.
2013–2016 | From Volunteering to a Vision
Hosting more than 100 international volunteers opened our eyes to the realities of Peru’s healthcare system, including the lack of access to preventive care, health education, and essential services. These early experiences also taught us a critical lesson: sustainable change requires more than volunteering. It requires local leadership, long-term commitment, and solutions rooted in community needs.
2016 | The Birth of CESAPU
We inaugurated CESAPU, our Center for Public Health in Huanchaco, Peru, to address the underlying factors that shape health and wellbeing. Inspired by the concept of multidimensional poverty, we recognized that poverty extends far beyond income. It is also shaped by access to healthcare, education, decent work, social protection, housing, and quality of life.
This vision became the foundation of our holistic approach to community development.
2017–2019 | Building Trust, Growing Together
Our early years at CESAPU focused on building relationships, earning community trust, and developing participatory programs centered on wellbeing, preventive healthcare, and essential services.
At the same time, we expanded our international partnerships with universities across Europe and the Americas. We also invested in our own leadership and social entrepreneurship journey through initiatives including the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative Network, The Pollination Project, and Premio Protagonistas del Cambio in Lima, Peru.
2020–2022 | Turning Crisis into Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic transformed our work. We responded to urgent community needs through disaster relief while strengthening our commitment to women’s economic empowerment.
During this period, CHIMUK grew from a community-based initiative into a social impact brand creating meaningful income opportunities for women. By introducing a model based on monthly wages rather than relying solely on sales, we took an important step toward more predictable income and sustainable employment.
2023–2025 | Expanding Access to Healthcare
We expanded CESAPU’s healthcare services to include physical therapy and rehabilitation, dentistry, general medicine, ultrasound, blood analysis, and preventive screenings. To strengthen the quality and continuity of care, we also designed a custom electronic medical record system to improve patient tracking, support coordinated follow-up, and enable more informed clinical decision-making.
Our global partnerships continued to strengthen our work, bringing together universities and collaborators including Yale University, the University of North Carolina, the University of California San Diego, Purdue University, and UNC Wilmington.
Through collaborations such as Yale’s Health Equity Fellowship, we also worked to restore our maternal and child health program, Lady Lunes, following the pandemic.
2026 | Building the Next Chapter
We completed and inaugurated the second floor of CESAPU, creating Educateca: a dedicated space for children’s education, early childhood development, and women’s employment.
With healthcare and preventive health services on the first floor and education and economic empowerment initiatives on the second, CESAPU brings our vision to life under one roof.
Our belief remains simple: health is not just the absence of disease. It is the foundation upon which individuals, families, and communities can thrive.
What began as a dream shared by two women has become a growing movement for health equity, community empowerment, and lasting change.