Ruana’s representatives from Italy had the privilege of visiting the Black Association for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights (ASONEDH) in Lima, Peru.
On the first day, ASONEDH generously gave them an extensive tour of all the programs they currently manage and the projects they plan to focus on in the future. One program that particularly caught job shadowers attention was the Afrodescendant Voices of Power School Program, which lasts for four months. ASONEDH works with different communities to provide training in areas such as humanitarian law, international humanitarian law, public health regulations regarding sexuality and reproduction, and the observation of violence against the community, among others. Through this program, young people are given the opportunity to reflect on these issues of interest and how they have evolved over time. Additionally, participants have a space to share their experiences from their countries or communities, which generates interesting discussions about ideas or strategies that can be considered to improve the process.
The youth agenda of ASONEDH seeks to collect information on different cases where the community has felt their rights have been violated or have been affected in situations of racism, violence or discrimination, this will be done through surveys that will be disseminated through different media to achieve a massive reach. Training workshops are conducted to the community on issues concerning the Afro-Peruvian community leadership, entrepreneurship and skills, knowledge of their rights to become multipliers, reading circles are conducted with books that talk about the Afro-Peruvian community and the impact that the community has on the Afro-Peruvian community. They also participate in fairs and events were related topics are discussed.
During our visit, we learned about Aslab, an organization that collects reports of racism and violations of the rights of the Afro-Peruvian community. They have a team of professionals who guide the community in effectively resolving these issues. We were also impressed by their impact on social media, including their radio program “Voces Afro-descendientes,” their channel afrotv.pe, and their presence across all social networks.
We also accompanied Asonedh to the Ministry of Public Defense of Peru, where they demonstrated how they support the work of allied entities. They provided us with an in-depth understanding of how the entity seeks to protect the rights of vulnerable population groups by processing all cases received, providing legal assistance, receiving complaints, offering community training, making their presence known in the community, and managing information through social networks.
During our visit, we had the pleasure of meeting the team at the Paysandú Study Center, consisting of Carolina Valdomirv, Carlos Urruty, and Leonardo Cáceres, who provided us with a detailed overview of their work with the populations of Guichon and Paysandú. Through the Canoas club, young people in the community are encouraged to learn about the local history and the existing flora and fauna. The center also teaches school students about the natural and historical heritage of the area, as well as the importance of preserving these spaces.
We also participated in the Operation Blue international exchange, where we had the opportunity to support the ASONEDH team. During the event, each organization had a space to showcase their projects, and we visited the Afro-Peruvian Museum. The following day, we visited the National University of San Marcos, one of the most prestigious universities in Lima, and participated in the international conference on “The Role of Social Work in Environmental Protection and Recycling: Techniques and International Approaches”. The speakers discussed various techniques to mitigate the negative impact on the environment and strategies for waste management.
This job shadowing was a wonderful experience for us to exchange good practices and learn from each other!
