Transforming from the territory: the experience of Save the Children in Peru

• Cristina García, Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, visited our Perú Country Office to learn first-hand about various child-focused initiatives developed in coordination with local organizations and institutions.

During her visit to Peru, Cristina García saw firsthand a number of initiatives that reflect the institutional commitment to the rights of children in contexts of emergencies, displacement, education, and climate change.

Accompanied by William Campbell, Country Director in Peru, she took part in activities in both Lima and Loreto, engaging with authorities, local partners, community actors, and representatives of children and adolescents. The visit highlighted the importance of working with territorial relevance, inter-institutional coordination, and long-term sustainability, through strategic alliances that enable meaningful responses from and for local communities.

Children in Every Step: presentation of the 2022–2024 Impact Report

During the 2022–2024 strategic cycle, children in Peru faced the prolonged effects of the pandemic, a shifting displacement context, and the increasing impact of climate-related and other disasters, factors that deepened inequality and severely affected their rights. In this period, Save the Children in Peru positively impacted 305,980 people, ensuring access to education, protection, livelihoods, and emergency preparedness, through a territorial approach and partnerships with local actors.

These results were presented at a unique event called “Children in Every Step”, featuring an interactive and participatory format designed to engage both adults and children. The experience broke with traditional adult-centered approaches by placing children at the heart of the narrative and the institutional memory. Cristina García, who attended the event, highlighted the value of the format and the importance of making our impact visible through the perspective of children themselves.

Child leadership and climate action

In the Amazon region of Loreto, Save the Children supports an intergenerational reforestation initiative led by adolescents and local communities, in partnership with the local organization INFANT. This effort, part of the global Generation Hope campaign, helps protect the forest, strengthen community bonds, and promote climate action from the territory, with children as key actors. Here, Cristina García learned about workshops on activism and advocacy facilitated by the team in Peru, which helped strengthen the leadership skills of girls, boys, and adolescents already organizing to defend their right to a healthy, clean, and sustainable environment.

Teacher preparedness in emergency contexts

Ensuring educational continuity in times of crisis requires teachers who are prepared not only to teach, but also to provide emotional support and stability to their students. In this context, a psychological first aid workshop for teachers was held in Comas as part of the Communities with a Future project. With Cristina García’s participation, the activity provided practical tools for educators to respond effectively in emergency settings, reaffirming their essential role in maintaining education as a protective space.

Child-centered institutional governance

The Children’s Advisory Group (GANNAP) at Save the Children Peru is a model of meaningful child participation that allows children to influence institutional processes. This space strengthens organizational governance with a child-centered approach and promotes shared decision-making. During her visit, Cristina García met with the group and learned about the team’s efforts to ensure genuine spaces for children’s voices and leadership.

Toward genuine localization

In a dialogue session with local partner organizations, participants discussed the opportunities and challenges of working from the territory. Save the Children in Peru is advancing a localization agenda that recognizes the knowledge, experience, and leadership of local organizations as essential to achieving culturally relevant and sustainable outcomes.

Risk management with a focus on children

The organization’s approach to Disaster Risk Management (DRM) aims to incorporate children’s protection and participation at every stage of prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. In alignment with this vision, Cristina and the team from Save the Children Peru participated in the 1st Macroregional DRM Seminar, organized by the Ministry of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, alongside authorities from various levels of government. The event created space to reflect on the urgency of strengthening local capacities in the face of increasingly frequent and severe climate-related events.

Anticipatory action with a child-centered approach

In partnership with the Peruvian National Service for Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI), Peru’s national meteorology and hydrology service, Save the Children promotes a model of community-based anticipatory action, aimed at reducing risk before a disaster occurs—especially in contexts where children are most vulnerable. This approach integrates climate information, community engagement, and institutional coordination to activate early responses that protect children’s rights and lives.

Within this framework, a planning and learning workshop was held with participation from government agencies, local partners, and technical teams. Cristina García, who joined the session, emphasized the importance of strengthening prevention models that are evidence-based, territorially rooted, and focused on children.

Meeting with Perú staff

Cristina also met with the staff of the Peru Country Office to share insights on the regional context, listen to experiences from various areas of work, and express her appreciation for the team’s dedication in a challenging environment. It was a warm and reflective space, reaffirming a shared sense of purpose and the value of acting with evidence, determination, and heart.