16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

Through this project, Centro Santa Angela provided support and technical training to graduates of their Leadership School now organized in two citizens watchdog committees.

One committee, called COVAG, monitors the municipal government of José Leonardo Ortiz’s compliance with an agreement reached with citizens groups at the beginning of its term. The other monitors spending on and execution of public works throughout Lambayeque province. 50 community leaders, both men and women, took part.

By strengthening citizen engagement, Centro Santa Agela seeks to address chronic problems of corruption, influence peddling and the failure of successive administrations to meet their obligations.

16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

Centro Santa Angela‘s Leadership School had another successful year of training new community leaders and supporting the work of program graduates.

31 new leaders, both men and women, took part in person, following a curriculum adapted to the current political climate, including general elections to be held in 2026, and the needs and desires of the participants. The program emphasizes leadership that is democratic, transparent, and ethical. Students applied their new leadership skills by designing and implementing initiatives in their communities.

In addition to running the school, Centro Santa Angela supported the new network of 36 Leadership School alumni, helping them elect a board and develop their action plan for 2025.

Extending its reach beyond their traditional base in José Leonardo Ortiz, Centro Santa Angela also delivered a series of leadership webinars that reached audiences across the country and held in-person events in Chiclayo, La Pradera, Lambayeque, as well as JLO.

In 2025, Latidos bolstered preventive health and nutrition in rural communities in the Zaña Valley by empowering community leaders to provide basic health services, combat anemia, and advocate for community members.

The project established tópicos comunales in 3 communities previously without health services. In Peru, tópicos comunales are a first line of response where no health services exist. They offer basic care, early detection of illnesses and education in nutrition, and disease prevention. 120 community leaders received training in managing a tópico comunal.

Latidos also arranged 10 mobile health clinics in communities up and down the Zaña Valey and held 4 public health fairs. Through this project, 600 people were able to access health care.

For a second year, Centro Santa Angela provided training to local officials aimed at challenging assumptions about gender roles and developing new concepts of masculinity and paternity that embrace relationships of equality and respect. The centre provided this training to a second cohort of 25 lieutenant governors in the districts of José Leonardo Ortiz and Mórrope.

Lieutenant governors, most of whom are men, represent the Ministry of Justice at the community level. They are key players in ensuring safety and security, promoting citizen engagement and connecting Peruvians with state services. Victims of gender-based violence often turn first to their local lieutenant governor, especially in rural areas.

Workshop topics included gender roles and stereotypes, the culture of violence, gender-based violence, responsible paternity, self-care, and male health. Centro Angela also helped connect these local officials to emerging grassroots leaders in their communities.

Heart-Links is grateful to Cambia Development Foundation for supporting this project.

In 2024, Centro Santa Angela worked with forty lieutenant governors and two subprefects in the districts of José Leonardo Ortiz and Mórrope to examine and challenge assumptions about gender roles and to develop new concepts  of masculinity and paternity that embrace relationships of equality and respect.

Lieutenant governors, most of whom are men, represent the Ministry of Justice at the community level. They are key players in ensuring safety and security, promoting citizen engagement and connecting Peruvians with state services. Victims of gender-based violence often turn first to their local lieutenant governor, especially in rural areas.

Workshop topics included gender roles and stereotypes, the culture of violence, gender-based violence, responsible paternity, self-care, and male health.

Heart-Links is grateful to Cambia Development Foundation for supporting this project.

16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

Centro Santa Angela will follow a hybrid model of delivery for its school for community leaders in 2023 and 2024.

Thirty youth and adults, both men and women, will take part each year in person, following a curriculum adapted to the current political climate and the needs and desires of the participants. The online course “Public Administration from a Citizen’s Perspective,” which is a pilot program, will be open each year to participants from across Peru.

The families of San Isidro have come a long way since 2017, when they fled their community because of floods that damaged or destroyed their houses, lands, crops, animals, irrigation system, and water supply. With support from Heart-Links partner Centro Esperanza, they have installed a reliable, community water supply, developed environmentally sustainable practices such as making their own organic fertilizer, animal feed and biogas heaters, and established a community chicken hatchery. Families began with 5 chicks and now have 30 laying hens on average. Their community association, led by a board of 3 women and 5 men, is legally recognized, allowing them to negotiate improvements with the local municipality.

For 2022, the community had initially planned to expand their production of animal feed. However, steep inflation and food shortages nationwide led them to modify their proposal to include market crops. Drawing on expertise within the community, they will collectively invest in a hectare of land where they will grow passion fruit. They will also plant vegetable gardens and continue to care for and rely on their laying hens, chicks and newly acquired sheep for income and food. Centro Esperanza will provide workshops in relevant agricultural practices and standards, bookkeeping, and marketing.

Leadership training and promoting participation by women in leadership positions and decision making continues to be a focus of this project, as does strengthening community organization and collaborating with other communities. Involving youth is a new priority.

Listen to our podcast episode to learn more:

16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

Taking advantage of virtual technology, Centro Santa Angela’s school for community leaders is expanding its reach this year to all of Peru. The school, which was founded in 2014 in the populous and rapidly growing municipality of José Leonardo Ortiz, Chiclayo, is dedicated to developing leadership that is democratic, transparent, inclusive and committed to human and community development. Also new this year, Centro Santa Angela has added modules on interculturality and on emotional health to the curriculum.

Incoming students will participate in a series of virtual workshops aimed at strengthening the ability of individuals and communities to participate fully in society. Topics include integrated human development, human rights, gender equality, and ethical, democratic and transformative leadership. Students put what they learn into practice by developing and leading community development projects in their community.

A permanent watchdog committee, made up of school graduates, will monitor and push for implementation of a Governing Agreement reached with municipal authorities.

16.6 develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.7 ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.10 ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms

“The main ways the school has helped me are first, to strengthen my self-esteem; second, to motivate me to participate actively as a citizen and in that way achieve the great change I want for my community, and third, to show me that to solve a problem it’s better to work as a group rather than individually.”
—Esperanza Herrera

This school for community leaders strengthened the ability of individuals and communities to participate fully in society. Meeting virtually because of COVID-19, participants from across Lambayeque province developed projects to help their communities and monitored and pushed local authorities to comply with the Governing Agreement they had signed. Run by Centro Santa Angela, the school gives priority to developing women leaders and to leadership that is democratic, transparent, and inclusive.

Liesten to our podcast episode to learn more:

Leaders in training deliver food and supplies to people in need.

Leadership school participants organize a beach cleanup.

Leadership school alumni monitor compliance with the Governing Agreement.

“Now the families that started with five laying hens have approximately 30 laying hens per family. We have 90 chicks, eggs that we eat ourselves and also sell when there are enough. And our family’s situation has improved, and we are learning how to improve our breeding. It also helps us to have better livelihoods and to be able to feed our children better. It’s important income for all our families.”
—Savina Vargas

This project, run by Centro Esperanza, built on last year’s project to strengthen community organization and sustainable income generation among rural families whose houses, lands, crops, animals, irrigation system, and water supply were damaged or destroyed in 2017 by flooding caused by El Niño.

In 2021, the families developed an organic chicken hatchery that produced eggs and meat for themselves and the market. In solidarity with impoverished families who do not belong to their association, each family donated 5 chicks to families in need. Centro Esperanza provided workshops in community organization, gender rights, marketing, cost analysis, strategic alliances, and business planning.

Participation by women in leadership positions continued to be a focus. Women now take part in decision-making in the community and the home. Three women sit on the community association’s board of directors.

The project helped these small farmers develop personally and as a community, drawing on their own skills and resources as well as on the expertise of workshop facilitators to organize, share resources, follow environmentally sound practices, promote the participation of women in leadership roles, and negotiate with state bodies.