Strong Women and the Importance of Community-Level Work

¡Hola, queridos!

This week I’ve been doing some reflecting on the importance of community and context in research, especially when it comes to the type of qualitative research that my team is doing. We have been involving locals in the research process and have visited our field site several times. Most of our understanding of Villa El Salvador (the shantytown in the district of Lima where our focus groups were held) has come from reading about the area. In these readings, I have learned about an incredible woman whose work in her community inspires me to do more.

Her name was María Elena Moyano.

 

A mural of María Elena Moyano that we passed on our way to our interview site in Villa El Salvador.

In the 80’s, all of Peru was being terrorized by a group called The Shining Path. During this time of national chaos and fear, Moyano focused on local change in her hometown of Villa El Salvador. She became president of the local chapter of Federación Popular de Mujeres (the Popular Women’s Federation) through which she opened and operated hundreds of communal kitchens and started a Vaso de Leche program, which ensured that children received a cup of milk per day. She later became deputy mayor of Villa El Salvador. She was outspoken against corruption and violence on all sides. She was assassinated by The Shining Path in 1992, a day after leading a march against the violence they fomented. However, newspapers the next day carried the headline: “They will shoot her, they will blow her up…. And they will not be able to kill her!” Her legacy is still very much alive and well.

In times when it could have been easy to look at the large picture of what was happening in her country and feel hopeless, Moyano instead chose to celebrate the strengths of her community and make a difference where she could.

It’s easy to get lost in numbers, excerpts, and journal articles when conducting research. Reminding myself to look at the context of our data has kept me motivated and has given me a deeper appreciation for the work that I have been privileged to do.

With your example, we shall overcome.

Here’s to strong women who make the world a better place.