Education and Rights for Marginalized Adolescents in Peru

In Peru marginalized adolescents face significant barriers to completing their secondary education which perpetuates their social and economic exclusion. This project aims to support young people especially indigenous adolescent girls to exercise their rights and achieve their full potential. This is achieved by improving the education system namely the curricula and the services offered in schools in order to encourage adolescents to complete their secondary education. The project also aims to improve the health and protection services offered to vulnerable adolescents in order to ensure an environment conducive to their learning and development. The project aims to ensure adolescents are involved in making decisions that affect them through social media platforms and artistic expression mechanisms. The project is implemented in two Amazonian regions (Loreto and Ucayali) in one Andean region (Huancavelica) and in the poor suburbs of Lima. The results achieved through these pilots will subsequently be replicated throughout the country.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) improved progression of adolescents and particularly adolescent girls as a result of secondary education that provides quality education promotes gender equality and recognizes ethnic identity in a violence-free environment; (2) improved public policies and services that promote the development of adolescent boys and girls; and (3) improved participation of adolescent and particularly adolescent girls to influence policies that affect them.