SOS Children's Village Esperanza is situated at an altitude of 1,000 m, on the main road about 40 km outside of Lima. A second SOS Children's Village, Río Hondo, is only 400 m away. SOS Children's Village Esperanza is bordered by the main road on one side and by the river Rimac on the other. The area has very dry climate but the river has enough water to irrigate the orchards and vegetable patches of the SOS Children's Village.
SOS Children's Village Esperanza consists of ten family houses, where up to 90 children can find a new home, the village director's house, a house for the so-called SOS aunts (SOS mother trainees or family helpers who support the SOS mothers during their daily work and fill in for them when they are ill or on leave), a community building with rooms for functions and festivities, and an administration and service area. The children attend private schools nearby, as state-run schools are overcrowded and the level of education you can achieve there is rather low.
For youngsters from the SOS Children's Villages Esperanza and Río Hondo, several SOS Youth Facilities have been set up in town. They consist of shared flats for up to 20 youngsters. Young people usually move from the SOS Children's Village to an SOS Youth Facility when they start a vocational training course or go on to higher education. With the support of qualified youth workers, the young people develop realistic perspectives for their future, learn to shoulder responsibility and increasingly make their own decisions. They are encouraged to develop team spirit and build up contacts with relatives and friends, as well as with the relevant authorities and potential employers.