She Set a Bold Example.
With her school uniform neatly pressed and her wrist decorated with beaded friendship bracelets, Maribel might look like a girl in your neighborhood on her way to school. But like many girls in rural Peru, her commute to school is much tougher than an early morning bus or a few city blocks.
Maribel, 17, comes from a very remote community in the Peruvian Andes. She lived with our partner, Sacred Valley Project, because there were no high schools near her village. She is incredibly dedicated to her studies and plans to study hotel administration or education in college.
It’s International Day of the Girl, but at She’s the First, girls like Maribel are our number one priority every day. Our work, day in and day out, is listening to girls to identify the barriers to their agency and investing in solutions to help more girls choose their own future. Sacred Valley Project provides dormitories and mentorship to girls who live too far away from a school to get an education.
Mentors at Sacred Valley Project provide girls not only with food and housing, but also tutoring and emotional connection. This support empowers girls to achieve their dreams of education and independence.
"I'm the first high school graduate in my family! To me, graduating means I've completed an important stage of my studies. I think that after graduating, you still have to continue pursuing your dreams so that you can be a professional and be able to find more jobs."
She is determined to become a professional so she can help support her family. "I am the older sister. I am very happy I was able to study and get ahead because I was an example for my younger sisters, since in my family, my parents were not able to finish their studies." And she was an example: Maribel's younger sister just completed her first year living in the Sacred Valley Project dorms and studying in high school!
What’s next for Maribel, besides attending her sister’s graduation?
“My plans are to study tourism, complete the degree, and have my own home.”
Maribel is the first in her family to graduate high school. She’ll likely be the first in her family to go to and graduate from university. She’s making sure she won’t be the last.
Will you join She's the First's monthly giving community, The Front Row to ensure girls like Maribel and her sister have access to mentorship and education, no matter where they’re from?
With a $30 monthly gift, you can make sure girls' voices are heard everyday.