I met Ericka Alvarado as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru. I lived with her family for two years, and became very close to her and her siblings. Ericka is the first person in her family to pursue a college degree. The third of seven siblings from a small rural farming village in Northern Peru, she grew up carrying buckets of water to her house, washing clothes by hand, and cooking for the family. Without electricity or running water in her home, Ericka studied for her high school classes by candlelight.

Ericka is a very motivated and inspirational young woman. She has now completed three years of a five year degree program in International Relations at at Cesar Vallejo University in the capital city of her region of Peru, Chiclayo. Demonstrating her commitment to her degree through hard work and additional courses on the weekends, Ericka is in need of tuition support to finish her degree. With inscription, activity and monthly fees, each academic year costs $1,500. I am asking for $3,000 to ensure that she will be funded through the final two years of her academic career.  By 2018, she will be the first in her family to obtain a college degree!

Be sure to watch the youtube video I made of Ericka giving a tour of her home during a visit after her first year of college.  

Fun Facts: 

-The Peruvian academic school year runs from March to December. 

-Ericka´s parents are contract farmers, primarily working on organic mango farms for export to the U.S. 

-Ericka´s youngest sister, born while I lived with the family, is my God Daughter.

-Ericka´s hometown has electricity as of 2011, but still does not have running water. 

-In Ericka´s hometown, people take their baths in the local river! 

-The average temperature in the part of Peru where Ericka is from is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter, and stays in the high 80s and 90s in the summer!