In the summer of 2011, LAS major Andrea Becerra '13 received a Dean Rusk grant to travel to Ayacucho, Peru. She volunteered for FINCA Peru, a micro-finance organization, as well as Aflatoun, a social and environmental education program for children ages 6-12. Becerra interviewed women for FINCA Peru to post on the Kiva website that connects low-income people who do not have access to financial services with individuals around the world willing to make them a small loan. FINCA hopes to use the website to gain broader recognition of the value of the micro-loans as well as raise funds to continue the program. Becerra's interviews revealed the positive impact of the program in local women's lives, in both material and psychological terms. Becerra recalled that, "one woman told me her dream was to rebuild her house with a material that was more ‘noble' than that of her mud-brick brick walls." The Aflatoun program aims to break the cycle of poverty by empowering children with the responsibility to become agents of positive change in their lives and in their community. In one project, Becerra had children create greeting cards. She then held a silent auction for the cards after returning to Davidson, with all proceeds going to help Aflatoun  continue to reach over 150 children in Ayacucho. Becerra noted her perception of Ayacucho changed during her time there, as the people and the city "began to steal a piece of my heart every day."