That was the first time I went to Peru, in the summer of 2011, before starting my freshman year at Wayland High School. My close friend, Kathleen, and I helped raise money before we went. Because of that, we were able to help fund a new library in the small village of Atuen and bring school supplies to equip not only the library but also the schoolhouse, which didn’t have much.

The efforts of Loose Change have built and equipped 10 schools in remote villages in the Northern Andes. These towns are so small, elevated and isolated that they can’t be reached with automotive vehicles. The people in this area of the Andes are subsistence farmers, and they do not have the luxury of electricity to aid them in feeding themselves.

This summer, Loose Change has a goal of building five schoolhouses. The non-profit organization will be setting up stands in schools and several other places around Wayland. Loose Change asks that those willing to donate bring their lost or forgotten coins to these collection stands, and that is all. Those extra coins that have been ringing in your pocket for a week, or sitting under your couch cushions for a year, can change a little kid’s life. Your loose change can buy a pencil for the little girl who holds her only pen all day and night on her shirt collar so that she doesn’t lose it — if she did, her parents would have to hike miles up and down mountains to a slightly more populated town to replace it.

All of the profit made by Loose Change goes to building and equipping schools in remote villages in Peru.

Loose Change will run January 25 to February 2, 2014.