El Especial Pastry Shop

Marco and Giulia, an Italian family, have been volunteering for years with Operation Mato Grosso in Yungay, at the foot of Huascarán. When they took over a school with 370 students, they asked themselves a question: why were there no children with disabilities?

 

Inspired by their experience with their daughter, who lives with a severe disability, they decided to promote inclusive education and open their doors to the first students with special needs. Since 2015, the Señor de Pumallucay School has welcomed 15 children in this situation, supported by a team of three teachers.

 

From this initiative, the inclusive pastry shop El Especial was born—a space for training and growth where young people with disabilities acquire job skills, build self-confidence, and actively contribute to the community.