Nico Jara has worked with VISIONS since we started VISIONS Peru, way back in 1999. He began as our professional driver that year, and soon proved himself a born leader with a stalwart work ethic. Today Nico is not only our driver, but also serves as the over project coordinator. He’s become a close friend during our 20+ years in Peru, and his knowledge about the Sacred Valley runs deep.

Nico is with our program daily and digs in alongside us at worksites. He’s always eager to laugh and joke around, and is also a spectacular soccer player, spearheading games throughout the summer. Of Quechua descent (the indigenous people of the Andes), Nico is fluent in both Quechua and Spanish. He knows only a few words of English, so there are ample opportunities for participants to practice Spanish when they become his friends. His wife, Berta, is a nurse at one of the clinics in Cuzco. They have two grown daughters, and their youngest, Patty, worked as a VISIONS leader in the summer of 2014.

Nico’s favorite part of the VISIONS summer is helping the rural campo communities in Yanahuara and beyond, where we have worked shoulder to shoulder with Quechua campesinos for more than a decade. He is particularly passionate about our work with irrigation and water conservation, which helps farmers keep their crops and livelihoods. Nico loves to say, “Everything is possible,” and his tireless physical contributions are matched only by his relentless optimism. It’s infectious, and so much so that there are now countless alum VISIONS students and leaders who share his belief, carrying this boundless positivity out into the world.

Read more about Nico Jara’s history with VISIONS, here.