NGOs AND RURAL POVERTY
HOLLIS MENTORED FIELD EXPERIENCE
Every year one Stetson University
professor organizes a trip to a country in Latin America. Sponsored by the
Hollis Renaissance Fund and the Department of Latin American Studies, these
trips are intended to give Stetson students an oppurtunity to experience the
culture of this dynamic region first-hand. The purpose of the 1998 Hollis
Mentored Field Experince was to examine the effects that non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) have on rural poverty. Headed by Dr. Richard Wood, Professor of Economics and Latin American Studies, the
1998 Field Experince brought four students to the capital city of Lima, as well
as the northern highlands near Cajamarca.
The students that participated in the trip were Jeff Hamrick, Carmen Talavera, Nozima Tojimatova, and Brandon Knox. This was the first time any of the students had been to Peru, although some had spent time in other countries in Latin America. In accord with the mission of the Hollis Renaissance Fund, the trip gave us an opportunity to witness the complexities of Latin American society. We spent the first four days of our stay in the capital, Lima, visiting the headquarters of several NGOs that work throughout Peru. They included: