The Hogar Hermelinda, San Martin, Peru
Hogar Hermelinda offers housing and support to six young women from the surrounding rural areas of San Martin. Participants must have specific post-secondary educational goals and be at least 18 years of age. POP established this program in 2022, first finding and establishing a suitable home and staff, and then working with the community to choose the best candidates.
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The need for this project became evident as we watched young women age out of the Aldea Orphanage. There is a high level of poverty in this area of Peru, especially in the small, rural villages. Young women who want to continue studies after secondary school, but have no support system, are critically disadvantaged. Many become young parents who then struggle to support their own children. Without access to job and educational opportunities, the cycle of poverty continues.
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Five of the six participants in the Hogar Hermelinda Program began their three year nursing program in 2022.