A WARWICKSHIRE College lecturer has been invited to the United Nations in New York after a film created by teenagers from her charity in Peru won a global competition.
Juany Murphy – who is originally from Peru and now a lecturer in Spanish in Leamington – will attend the Global HerStory Summit as a representative of the charity Otra Cosa which she co-founded in Peru ten years ago.
Joining her will be Peruvian teenagers Ruth and Irene and their teacher Carmen Diaz as well as the charity’s operations manager Jenny Kehoe.
The Huanchaco Education and Learning Programme (HELP) Literacy project was set up by Otra Cosa with ‘LitClubs’ being set up initially for girls, but due to its success it has now been expanded to include boys as well.
It is funded by non-profit organisation Litworld which challenges illiteracy worldwide.
Juany said: “This project, run with our fantastic teacher Carmen, is all about empowering young people in reading and writing. The first ‘LitClub’ began with 15 teenage girls – teaching them literacy and empowerment, compassion, rights and equality.
“This project was successful so it was replicated in other villages where we now have four clubs.
“We were invited to attend the summit after submitting a video and a proposal for change in our community. With the support of the team and volunteers, Ruth and Irene created this as part of their LitClub.
“It talks about the scarcity of water in their community, Cerrito de la Virgen, and why they want to change this.
“LitWorld and Global Girls Leading Our World (GLOW) loved the video so much that we are one of a few groups invited to attend the summit – where teams from around the world will aim to create Action Plans for Change.
“These action plans will be developed into initiatives to be applied in our communities delivering positive change to women and girls.
“I am very proud and honoured that the project has been recognised in this way and I am looking forward to showcasing the work we do in Peru.”
Visit www.otracosa.org for more information.
