Peru: Empowering Grassroots Women with Land & Housing Rights

San-Martin-District-3 Urban women from the San Martin District.

By Luz Maria Sanchez Hurtado. Director, ESTRATEGIA - October 2013

Grasssroots women from 13 districts from urban and rural communities were empowered to advocate for their demands from the authorities and form the National Women's Federation in land and housing access rights, free from domestic violence.

The training of the grassroots women in sensitizing and leadership, self esteem, human rights focusing on land and housing access rights, and advocacy were important issues the grassroots women learnt. On urban legislation issues, the women learned about the legal Constitution and were trained in their respective districts.

Women from rural districts of the Province of Cañete and San Luis district, and Chincha Province and Grocio Prado district, were trained both located at the South of Lima. Also 11 urban districts located in the peripheral areas of Lima were trained as well.

RURAL REGIONS

San Luis District, Cañete Province

Estrategia-women-leaders

These women come from the Provinces of Apurímac, Huancavelica, Ayacucho.

Because of the problem of terrorism, the women occupied new areas.

An important group of these women got the land titling from the government authorities thanks to their fighting for the land and housing access rights, while there are another women sector that occupy the hills and are in the process to obtain the land titling.

Grocio Prado District, Canete Province

Estrategia-women-leaders-2

Women from Grocio Prado District had a participatory and concerted training.

They hope that with their knowledge of the Constitution, they can now start advocating to the local authorities for their rights of land and housing access to the local authorities, to support their families, with the bonus of the Housing Ministry – to support them through the Housing and Subsidies program.

URBAN AREAS

Vista Alegre

The women from Vista Alegre community said that they will feel more secure with their own organizaton representing their district. The women said so due to this is the first time the women started to build their capacities in land regulation and learnt how to follow up the process to become titled.

Rimac District

Amelia from the Rimac district said that she is now in the group of leaders who are defending their rights to get the water supply and sewage in their communities.

The women from the Rimac district said that they will start to coordinate with the local authorities and try to dialogue and negotiate with them, but if they are not successful, they will go to the streets to march and advocate to the authorities to get a solution for the lack of land titling.

San Martin de Porres District

San-Martin-District The women from the San Martin de porres district said that they did not know that the access to land and housing is a human right and that this is why they need to fight.

Old Lima City

The women from the old Lima city said that they for 30 years had a man as a community leader and that this is the opportunity of the empowered women to become leaders. Actually, the women from this area occupy the leadership of the community of Santa Rosa and got important results for the community; this is why now the women are respected as community leaders.

Carabayllo District

Puente-Piedra-District The women from the Carabayllo district feel very motivated due to the fact that they elected a police woman as president of their women's organisation.

Their president has promised the women that they will be respected, and that she will do her best to help them to avoid violations or attacks from men.

Group Leaders Appointed

Estrategia, Centre of Investigation & Action for Urban Development & Women United for a Better Community

The total districts that benefited from the sensitizing and training workshops in land and housing rights were:

the rural districts of: Chincha Province (District of Grocio Prado – El Porvenir) and Province of Cañete (District of San Luis – Los Ángeles) at the south of Lima.

the urban Districts benefited are: El Rímac, Los Olivos, Ventanilla, Surco, Chorrillos, San Juan de Lurigancho, San Martin de Porres, Lima cercado, Independencia, Puente Piedra and Huachipa.

The 13 women leaders groups presented to lima public registers to get the legalization: