Volunteers in Action: American Women’s Literacy Club (Lima, Peru)

October 12, 2021

Despite the challenges created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, GFWC’s International Affiliates around the world have been hard at work raising money for various charities, participating in community service projects, and trying to improve the lives of others overall.

American Women’s Literacy Club 

Members of the American Women’s Literacy Club (Lima, Peru) have continued to meet remotely this year to continue their volunteer service amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Women’s Literacy Club in Lima, Peru, has been busy this year raising money for various education-based charities in Peru. Like many other GFWC clubs, the American Women’s Literacy Club has adopted remote meetings and events in an effort to continue to make a difference while staying safe and healthy. Clubwoman Sara Kurzenhauser explained the club has been hosting presentations with various guest speakers through Zoom throughout the year that people can pay to attend. The money raised from these events is being collected as part of their remote fundraiser.

Sara said one of the prominent education-based charities the club seeks to help each year is Ensena Peru, a nonprofit organization that sends trained teachers to rural areas of Peru where gaps in educational opportunities may exist to stay for two years to help fill these gaps. The club has helped fund one teacher per year that they have donated to the nonprofit.

“Our charities all emphasize education and literacy in Peru,” she said. “…Peru is socially stratified and has lots of classism. One way to combat these issues is through improving education.”

The remote fundraiser will come to a close in December, and will be marked with a raffle and various prizes to participants.

In past years, Sara said the club has raised about $10,000 per year, which is given out as grants to the charities they support. So far this year, she said they have collected about $1,500 through the remote fundraiser, and are excited to support as many organizations with this money as possible.

Sara added it is important to her and the other members of the club that they are not only a social club, but that volunteering and community service is an essential part of being a clubwoman.

As the American Women’s Literacy Club prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, Sara said they hope to continue to attract new members to participate in their fundraisers and community service projects.