Life Story and Leadership: Gabina Sucno Huari

Gabina Sucno Huari, a 51-year-old farmer and community leader from Incacona, was born in Yaurisque-Paruro. She lost her mother at a very young age, and her father abandoned her and her sibilings and never took responsibility. They were left in the care of an aunt, their mother’s sister, who, while providing them with shelter, also demanded they work from a young age, as they lived in poverty.

Gabina only finished half of high school. When she was still very young, she had a partner and was forced to have six children she didn’t want. This man abused her physically and psychologically, was an alcoholic, and never assumed his role as a father, nor did he provide basic care or food for his children.

And, in that abyss, Gabina found a way out: other women. She began organizing with them in her community, then in the district and the province. Together they ran small businesses to support their families. Over time, they formed the Ñaupac Tikarisun Warmikuna Paruro organisation, convinced that together they could achieve much more.

They secured support from charitable institutions and organized and convened women’s congresses from different districts and the province of Paruro. This collaboration gave life to the provincial organisation and allowed them to find a way out of their precarious and limited economic situations, which not only Gabina but many of her sisters also faced.

This leadership grew significantly as she served multiple terms as president of women’s organisations, and later as treasurer of the Incacona peasant community’s governing board. She was then invited to run for city councillor and won in her first election. Her tenure was not easy: she faced sexism, contempt, and political harassment simply for being a woman in a position of authority.

Her strength was further amplified when she discovered the Flora Tristán Peruvian Women’s Center and participated in workshops and meetings that allowed her to understand her rights, her dignity, and the importance of eradicating the violence she herself had experienced since childhood. This support strengthened her leadership and allowed her to promote actions, budgets, and projects to benefit the women of her district and province, managing and seeking to improve the conditions of other women.

Her dream today is to continue serving in positions of authority and, one day, become mayor. Not for herself, but to serve with the same transparency that has guided every step of her life. She leaves young women with a clear message: “If you want to help other women and your community, be honest. Don’t work for your own personal interests, but for the good of all.”

Because Gabina’s journey is not just the story of a leader. It is the story of a girl who suffered hunger and abandonment, of a woman who survived violence, and of a fighter who, with love and courage, transformed every wound into strength for other women.