By Alejandro E. Alfaro Mecinas, Communications Consultant, Mission Development Office, Peru

Across Peru, women who once faced economic and social barriers are discovering new opportunities to transform their lives. Through projects led by Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, training, accompaniment, and capacity-building are becoming practical tools for advancing independence, dignity, and hope.

In Cajamarca, Yuli is taking part in the Intermediate Baking and Cake Decorating Course at the Santa María Eufrasia Women’s Support Center. In just seven months, she has refined her skills in baking and decorating cakes, enabling her to start a small business from home. Today, she receives customized orders and earns an income that contributes to her family’s well-being, demonstrating how access to quality training can open new paths toward a more dignified future.

Meanwhile, in the rural community of Cuyuni, Cusco, a group of women decided to organize themselves to transform their lived reality of living on the margins of society. After receiving training in knitting, entrepreneurship management, leadership, and marketing, they established their own business and gained access to new markets through the accompaniment of the Wasinchis Agustina Rivas mission and collaboration with partner institutions.

In addition to learning new techniques, the women strengthened their self-esteem and developed the confidence needed to manage their own business. Today, they sell their knitted garments both within their community and in the city of Cusco. They recently achieved record sales, demonstrating that lasting change begins when women recognize their own potential.

Alicia Huamán, a member of the women entrepreneurs’ organization, describes this transformation simply:

“They asked me who I was, and at first, I was afraid … but I answered with pride: ‘I am a member of my organization, and I have come to find out whether our knitted products have been sold.’”

These stories reflect the Congregation’s ongoing commitment to accompanying processes of integral human development that enable women to strengthen their abilities, create economic opportunities, and take an active role in shaping their own lives. Beyond the income they have earned, the greatest achievements are the confidence they have regained, the leadership they have developed, and the certainty that every person possesses talents capable of transforming their circumstances when they receive accompaniment and training and are supported by a community that believes in them.

Discover more about the Good Shepherd mission in Peru here and follow them on Facebook here.