Feminist Mentorship, Belonging, and Testimonios of Migrant Girlhood in Peru

Olivera G.M. · Girlhood Studies (2026) · DOI: 10.3167/ghs.2026.190107

Resumen

In this article, I examine how Chamas en Acción (CheA) a community-driven feminist empowerment program in Peru, supports migrant adolescent girls who navigate gender-based violence, discrimination, and displacement. My analysis explores how its pedagogical components—participatory workshops, psychosocial support, family engagement, and a dedicated mentoring axis—create conditions for safety, belonging, and political emergence. Drawing on testimonios produced by girls and adult mentors, I show how care-centered practices, based on decolonial feminist ethics, enable participants to reinterpret their experiences, articulate demands, and engage in public action. I argue that mentorship, as one pillar of a broader empowerment model, functions as relational praxis that strengthens agency, fosters intergenerational solidarities, and sustains feminist continuity across territories. © The Author(s).