” Empowering young people from indigenous communities in the Andes to access further education and fair employment.”
Project Co-ordinator: Zary Feeney
Location: Ccorca and Huanoquite, Cusco, Peru
Summary
- Opens further education opportunities to young women and men from indigenous, Andean communities.
- Academic and psychosocial support ensure that young people have the tools they need to successfully complete technical qualifications or university degrees.
- Through further education, young people gain skills and experience that empower them to access fair employment and break the poverty cycle.
Description of Project
Amantani’s Transitions Project was developed in response to the growing need for support for school leavers in rural communities. Residents of rural Cusco are 75% less likely to enter further education than their urban peers and studies show that people who study after secondary school can access better job opportunities than those who don’t.
The project facilitates access to further education for over 100 indigenous young women and men from two rural communities in the southern Andes near Cusco, Peru. It has three phases that help young people prepare for further education, support them throughout their studies and facilitate access to fair and formal employment.
When the project started in 2016, only 7 residents in the District of Ccorca had accessed further education. Since then, Amantani’s work has expanded to the district of Huanoquite, and 130 young people from these communities have had the opportunity to study after secondary school. In 2023, 83 young people – over half of them women – are studying at further education institutions, with Amantani’s support. 36 young people have completed further education courses so far, and of these graduates, 19 are currently employed in jobs with fair working conditions, 12 with formal contracts.
La Vida’s support enables young people to access high-quality further education, through the provision of financial scholarships, as well as academic and psychosocial support. Further education enables indigenous young people to access fair employment and earn better wages, empowering them to break the poverty cycle for their families.
For more information about the project, please visit Amantani’s website
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