Peruvian Hearts - Girls' Education & Empowerment

Thanks to the ongoing support of our generous donors, the Peruvian Hearts scholars continue to mature into the next generation of female leaders. We are thrilled this year to watch our first six scholars graduate from university and become the first members of their families to receive a college degree. These Peruvian Hearts graduates will receive their diplomas in the fields of chemical engineering, accounting, and culinary arts. We are extremely proud of these girls and their successes and accomplishments thus far and we’re excited for them to begin the next chapter of lives as young professionals. It is because of the generosity of our supporters that we can continue to make a lasting change in the lives of girls and their families and communities in Peru. I would highly encourage any of our supporters to visit our projects firsthand and get to know the girls you support. Please contact me directly at 303-526-2756, if you're interested.

One of our upcoming Peruvian Hearts graduates this year is, Rosa, who has been studying chemical engineering for the last several years at the National University of San Antonia of Abad in Cusco. Rosa finished her university classes at the end of December and is now currently fulfilling her required internship hours in order to graduate and receive her diploma. Rosa applied to do her internship at the highly competitive National University of Engineering (UNI) in Lima and her application was accepted. She has since moved to Lima and is sharing an apartment with Gloria, another Peruvian Hearts scholar who is currently in her first year of university studying Mining Engineering at Universidad La Catolica on a complete government scholarship. Rosa is scheduled to finish her internship at the end of March and will then receive her diploma. She has already been informally offered a position at the university.

Three of the six upcoming Peruvian Hearts graduates, Epifania, Alexandra, and Lucero, will all graduate with degrees in accounting, while Flor Nelida and Kati will graduate with degrees in culinary arts. Obviously for these girls, finding jobs in their respective fields will be their next big challenge, but now that they are about to accomplish something that no other family members have done before, they are more inspired than ever to continue dreaming big on their path to a brighter future. As these girls take on new jobs and begin their careers, they will remain an integral part of Peruvian Hearts and will help mentor the younger girls we support.

In January, Visionaria Peru, a project sponsored by Rotary International, held its fourth annual weeklong leadership institute in Urubamba, near Cusco. Several of the newest Peruvian Hearts scholars were able to attend this year’s institute, which offered them important opportunities to learn about topics such as leadership, self-esteem, clean energy, and financial responsibility, among others. The girls attended group yoga classes and participated in daily workshops working individually and in groups, brainstorming important topics and presenting their ideas to the larger group. Peruvian Hearts scholar and former Visionaria Peru participant, Maribel, was asked to be a group mentor for this year’s group of participants who are designing a leadership class to teach at high schools around Cusco. After having participated in the institute for the last several years and having worked on designing a leadership class for younger kids, Maribel was honored to be a mentor for some of the participating girls at this year’s institute.

Links:

• Peruvian Hearts' Girls' Empowerment Program
• Follow Us on Facebook!
• How to Get Involved with Peruvian Hearts