Irene Silva de Santolalla (May 10, 1902 – July 30, 1992) was a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian writer, educator and politician. She was the first woman to be elected to the

Senate of Peru The Congress of the Republic of Peru () is the unicameral body that assumes legislative power in Peru. Due to broadly interpreted impeachment wording in the Constitution of Peru, the President of Peru can be removed by Congress without cause, ...

. The daughter of Oscar Silva Burga and Susana Linares de Silva, she was born Irene Silva Linares in

Cajamarca Cajamarca (), also known by the Quechua name, ''Kashamarka'', is the capital and largest city of the Cajamarca Region as well as an important cultural and commercial center in the northern Andes. It is located in the northern highlands of Per ...

. She was educated at Liceo del Carmen there and at the Colegio Sagrados Corazones in

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

. She contributed an article to the Argentinian child psychology magazine ''Hijo mío…!'' in 1938. This led to further contributions to that magazine, as well as other similar publications such as ''Margarita'' in Chile and ''Personalidad y cultura mental'' in Cuba. In 1940, she published a collection of these articles ''Por la felicidad de nuestros hijos'' ("For our children's happiness"). In 1943, she published ''Hacia un mundo mejor'' ("Towards a better world"), a book of advice for parents. De Santolalla attended conferences on issues related to women and children. In 1949, she taught family education at the

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (, PUCP) is a private university in Lima, Peru. It was founded in 1917 with the support and approval of the Catholic church, being the oldest private institution of higher learning in the country. The Peru ...

. In 1952, she opened a school in Lima El Instituto de Orientación Matrimonial y Familiar ("School of Preparation for Marital and Family Life"). She served in the Senate from 1956 to 1962. In 1957, she was author of a law on family education. She also helped establish government-sponsored teacher training institutes. She served as an advisor to

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. De Santolalla was named to the

Order of the Sun of Peru The Order of the Sun of Peru (Spanish: ''Orden El Sol del Perú''), formerly known as the Order of the Sun, is the highest award bestowed by the nation of Peru to commend notable civil and military merit. The award is the oldest civilian award in ...

. She was named Woman of the Americas by the

Unión de Mujeres Americanas The Unión de Mujeres Americanas (Union of American Women, UAW) was founded in 1934 by Mexican women's rights activist and suffragette, Margarita Robles de Mendoza. The purpose of the organization was to develop ties between women in the region to ...

in 1956. In 1922, she married Fausto Santolalla Bernal, an engineer; the couple had four children. She died at home in Lima at the age of 90 after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santolalla, Irene Silva de 1902 births 1992 deaths 20th-century Peruvian women writers Members of the Senate of Peru Recipients of the Order of the Sun of Peru People from Cajamarca Academic staff of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru 20th-century Peruvian women politicians 20th-century Peruvian politicians