Why Casa Khuyana
A family friend introduced us to Monica. During one of our service trips to Peru, she met with Wako members to share her story and explain her project. Pediatric hospice care is not an easy topic to explain to 16-year-olds, but Monica spoke with honesty, detail and great professionalism. Our members sat quietly for the full hour, listening to every word.
When she finished, a remarkable conversation followed. Our members had many questions, some of them difficult, and Monica answered each one openly and with care. By the end, her passion and inspiring initiative had created a special bond. Our members wanted to start working toward her goal right away, and Casa Khuyana became our second cause.
WHO THEY ARE
Casa Khuyana is building the first pediatric hospice in Peru, and the third in Latin America. It was founded by Monica Pfeiffer in the Sacred Valley of Cusco. Its name comes from Quechua, the Andean language: khuyana means “worthy of love and understanding”.
Their mission is to give children with a terminal diagnosis, and the families who love them, a peaceful place to spend their remaining time together, with dignity, comfort and real medical support.
HOW IT BEGAN
Monica started her career in television but left to find work that helped vulnerable children. For six years she ran a home in Lima for families who travelled from the provinces so their children could receive medical treatment. There she saw that many children could not be cured, and that families living in poverty often had no way to keep their child comfortable at the end of life.
A family who lost their daughter changed everything. Because she had died at home, without pain and surrounded by love, they were able to grieve in peace. Monica realized that how a child’s life ends shapes how a family heals. She studied pediatric palliative care, moved to the Sacred Valley, and founded Casa Khuyana in 2020.
HOW IT WORKS
Casa Khuyana provides pediatric palliative care and full support for families: medical equipment, home care, and a space where families don’t have to face this alone. The hospice is being built on land in Calca, in the heart of the Sacred Valley, surrounded by mountains. Construction began in 2022, and the team is now working to equip the building and bring it into operation.
HOW WAKO HELPS
We support Casa Khuyana in two ways. First, part of the funds we raise goes directly to the equipment they need most. On a latest service trip, Wako members delivered wheelchairs and furnishings for the children’s rooms in person, and we continue to raise funds for items like a refrigerator and shower and toilet chairs. A little money goes a long way in Peru: a donation that might feel small here can buy something a family could never afford on their own.
Second, we help raise awareness. Pediatric hospice care is still not widely understood. Hospice isn’t about giving up; it’s about giving comfort, dignity and peace to children and families who need it most. CASA KHUYANA
“When it’s not possible to add days to a child’s life, we can always add life to the days they have.”