Hope Projects founders Jerry and Ella Simons have been working with villages of indigenous people in Peru for almost 2 decades. The ancestors of these people were the Incas who fled into the high Andes when the Spanish Conquistadors invaded in the 1500s. Although they have been largely forgotten by the outside world and have very little, these wonderful people are resourceful and committed to helping themselves. To date Hope Projects has worked with 175 villages to provide resources (especially materials and engineering) for various construction projects, including schools, sanitation facilities, homes, farming structures, cafeterias and clean water infrastructure, as well as providing a variety of other assistance. These projects have helped improve the lives of more than 600,000 villagers. There are 200 more villages on a waiting list ready to receive help from Hope Projects. The Simons family and members of the Hope Projects board cover all overhead costs, so all donations go directly to those in need.