Peru

Since 2005, IFP alumni in Peru have looked to strengthen their network, using the group’s diverse academic and professional capacities to advance social justice in their communities. A work group was formed to draft a constitution for the IFP-Peru Alumni Network.

In 2007, the IFP-Peru Alumni Network in Peru called on its 82 members working in fields including education reform, environmentalism, human rights, and social inclusion, in regions across the country to form the IFP-Peru Alumni Association, “Center for Social Development.”

Founded in November 2008 by IFP alumni from the different geographic regions of Peru, this is a collaborative organization where knowledge and communication flow among its networks to work on solutions to social justice issues in Peru.

Past and Future Alumni Activities

In May 2007, the IFP-Peru Alumni Network organized the first national meeting on “the problems that education raises in Peruvian society.”  This meeting brought together IFP alumni to discuss education issues: multiculturalism, inclusion of students with disabilities, and the relationship between education and health.

In August 2007, the IFP-Peru Alumni Network organized the second national meeting on “the scientific research of IFP alumni,” developed in the universities of Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, North America, Peru and Mexico. The event brought together IFP alumni to talk about ways to contribute to the development of different areas of knowledge in Peru.

In July and August 2008, the IFP-Peru Alumni Network organized two meetings in the south and Lima, bringing together 30% of alumni to plan the publication of the first book of scientific articles, and to discuss the the organization of the association. In November 2008, the Peruvian alumni approved the statute of the association and chose the Steering Committee.

Today, the IFP-Peru Alumni Association is an organization that unites leaders working in different fields that are linked by their IFP experience and the association’s mission. This association encourages interaction among the regional networks, led by alumni, and calls the new Peruvian graduates of the Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program to contribute their knowledge to the collective efforts toward achieving social justice in Peru.