“They will forever put an end to the injustices of this world”: Empodera Perú 2024
Andrés Treviño, the newest member of the Victory Institute global team, shares his experience traveling to Lima, Peru and joining local partners Promsex at the end of Global’s LGBTQI+ Leadership Training Program.
I’m excited to share my first experience as a Victory Institute employee! I was already familiar with the work of the Victory Institute: I had already participated in training in Mexico. For me, it is very exciting to have the opportunity to be part of this incredible team that strengthens LGBTQI+ politics and politicians in Latin America.
The results of the work we have done in Peru with Promsex, our partner organization, is truly inspiring. In mid-March, the last edition of our training, Empower, has come to an end. This leadership program has been running for 14 years and has become a very relevant platform for the Peruvian LGBTIQ+ movement.
35 participants were selected from more than 200 candidates, all of whom actively participate in Peruvian politics, where instability threatens recent advances in LGBTIQ+ rights.
It is very gratifying to see that all students have references from great activists and politicians who participated in our training in Peru, such as Gahela Cari, a trans and indigenous activist who ran for Congress in previous elections. During her session at Empodera, she shared with everyone that after a long time in civil organizations, she understood that the real task was to enter politics and seek a decision-making position after participating in our training in 2017.
Although it is clear that the recent events in Peruvian politics scare everyone, the knowledge acquired in these months of training and the community that was created between them during the process makes them feel powerful and ready to take steps towards visibility and pride.
It is very important that the country’s electoral authority, the National Electoral Jury, actively participates in the training. The jury president was present to share an empowering message that affirms the importance of LGBTIQ+ participation in future elections.
We ended this program with a cultural evening during which the participants put on a talent show. It was very rich because everyone came from different regions of the country. At the end, we all held hands and danced to a traditional Peruvian song that says, “They will forever end the injustices of this world,” which for me perfectly describes all the feelings I have about this work we share. 🌈
