Networks of trust were destroyed. Particularly affected were the poor who didn't know their rights or how to defend them. It is strongly influenced by the principles of Paolo Freire, the world renowned educationalist whose populist approach has a strong empowerment focus. Know Them, Defend Them, Promote Them. Over a three-day period community leaders including lawyers, teachers, and social workers as well as presidents of mothers' clubs and other grass roots community leaders with little formal education are introduced to basic concepts of human rights, democracy, citizen participation and interactive training methodologies such as games and role plays.
Community leaders leave with a kit of materials to use once they return to their communities.
This consists of a one-day group session three months after the training, annual meetings at the departmental level, an annual national meeting in Lima for representatives from the departmental level, and a bulletin issued every two months. These mechanisms serve as an important networking device. They also provide participants with an opportunity to share their successes and challenges once they return to their communities, and to receive new information on human rights and democracy as well as interactive training methodologies. She carried out a field study, travelling to both the highlands and thejungles, areas affected by the violence and areas not affected by the violence. She interviewed 20 of the nearly 900 community leaders trained by then, as well as their families, and individuals in their communities.