About

Valeria has a strong character and a strong sense of purpose. She has decided she would like to be a lawyer and is working hard to get the qualifications to study law at university. Her family background is difficult. She has a teenage brother who has just become a father. He and the three month old baby live with Valeria and her mother. The whole family is supported by the mother's work cleaning houses. Valeria has already made a mark in Quito - in a rather unusual way. Three years ago, she was part of a class a psychologist organised for our Trust on sex education and preventing teenage pregnancies. As part of the class discussion, Valeria was brave enough to recount how she had been sexually harassed on the bus. As a result of this incident, the psychologist suggested to the city authorities in Quito that they should run a campaign to try and eradicate sexual harassment on public transport. They agreed and the campaign started last year. Not only was Valeria the impetus for this campaign, it has also given her the dream of studying law in order to help women from poor backgrounds.