USAID’s Opening Doors program helped build commitment to girls’ education for 150 communities in Peru by developing and promoting teaching methods focused on children and their learning capacities. Opening Doors trained more than 560 teachers in 150 communities, reaching more than 6000 students, and has provided early learning programs for 4,500 girls and boys under 3-years-old.

The Opening Doors program developed education activities focused on children’s rights, gender equality, and inter-cultural bilingual education with active community participation. Through teacher training and community empowerment, the project helped to improve primary education and health conditions of students, promote early education, strengthen regional planning capacities, and encourage democratic principles in schools, families and communities.

Melissa and Melisia were the first two girls to register from their community when the Opening Doors project was launched. The girls encountered two very new challenges - learning a new language and interacting with the male students. Opening Doors promotes bilingual education which includes Spanish in addition to their native language of Quechua. Melissa and Melisia were six-years-old when they started attending classes, a privilege previously reserved for boys. After three years, both Melissa and Melisia completed fourth grade and are totally integrated to this innovative program, having overcome their initial fears of joining school. Furthermore, due to their parents and teachers support, the girls formed a musical duet and perform in nearby communities.