Amherst native Jessica Beliveau left for Peru on Sunday, March 9, to participate in Stonehill College’s annual HOPE Alternative Spring Break program.

Beliveau, a senior, volunteered with other Stonehill students for the Yancana Huasy Project, which is a Congregation of Holy Cross missionary outreach program. It attends to children and their families who live with physical and mental challenges, including Down syndrome and other distressing conditions.

Students who participate in the program form a community with one another during the five months leading up to their trip. They learn about the culture, history and issues of social injustice in the communities they’re destined to visit and serve.

The trips are immersive experiences, challenging students to engage the four tenets of HOPE:

Honoring our neighbor.

Organizing for justice.

Practicing peace.

Encountering God.

Upon their return, students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences and to integrate the pursuit of social justice into their day-to-day lives.

Stonehill is in Easton, Mass.