A very common untold story!

Several factors are important when discussing girls' access to education in rural Andes: parents' objections, teachers with stereotyped expectations of gender roles, an educational system that silences their voices and restrictive socio-cultural norms. Girls face unfriendly school environments that are obstacles to their learning process and to their chances of completing school. In spite of that, girls like Juliana are determined to break the oppressive poverty cycle, to search for different life opportunities and to become active members of society. This story describes traditions and challenges that play into rural Andean girls' lives.



Beatriz Alvarado is a cultural consultant and educational researcher; founder and executive director of Killari (www.killari.org), a non-profit organization aimed to empower rural Andean young women to achieve social and financial change by accessing to tertiary education.



Una historia común no contada

Existen factores importantes cuando se discute el acceso a la educación de las niñas rurales andinas: objeciones de los padres, maestros con visiones estereotipadas de género, un sistema educativo que silencia sus voces y normas socio-culturales restrictivas. Las niñas enfrentan ambientes educativos adversos a su aprendizaje y a sus posibilidades de concluir la escuela. Sin embargo, niñas como Juliana tienen la determinación de romper el ciclo de pobreza, buscar diferentes oportunidades en sus vidas y convertirse en miembros activos de la sociedad. Esta historia describe las tradiciones y los retos presentes en las vidas de las niñas rurales andinas.