Living in Peru gives us a perspective much different from visiting for a week. We get to meet the people who live here, have families, work and enjoy life then pass away here. During this past six months we've seen all of these activities together with added views to the personal lives of several.
Last night in the Temple I had an opportunity to visit with Raul Pando, an assistant coordinator on each Meircoles. Raul is a in his sixties. His physical appearance lead me to listen to his story, as an eavesdropper. He has dark chocolate skin, somewhat slight features at first appearance but wiry and agile. Earlier conversations contained stories of the street. This isn't uncommon but Raul's seemed uniquely intriguing to me. I listen more whenever I have a chance. Over the years, Raul has lost most of this teeth. I suspect some were lost on sudden impact but that is unconfirmed. He moves stealth like. Always ready to act, always alert and ever vigilant to his surroundings. This behavior is out of the ordinary for the average Peruvian. In one word Raul is fascinating.
Taking the chance to talk 'one to one' with Raul when we were waiting, I asked him if he had ever written his life's story. Raul doesn't speak English so I'm a little amazed I was able to communicate my request sufficiently for him to respond so quickly. But to my surprise, he did, in the affirmative. I asked him how long it was, had he shared it with his family and would he share it with me? To all but the last question his answer was immediately yes. He declined by saying it was too personal to share. I respected that only to be more intrigued. Raul is not a casual person. He means to do what he does. 
As I thought beyond the obvious it occurred that Raul's life could have taken a more positive turn had it only been the recipient of one small hand up. No doubt there were some such events else he wouldn't be in the Temple doing the redemptive work for the dead. Yet, had this one more hand up been a small encouragement toward education, be it technical or vocational. I thought of the thousands who today receive such help. The PEF started in 2001 now has over 57,000 beneficiaries. The Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) is a program of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), first announced by Church President Gordon B. Hinckley
on March 31, 2001. 
The mission of the PEF, as stated in that address,
is to provide educational opportunity [not welfare support] to members
living in areas with widespread poverty, enabling and empowering them to
lift themselves and establish their future lives on the foundation of
self-reliance that can come from training in marketable skills.
This program reflects the values and stated aims of the church around
the importance of education and the duty to help and assist the poor.
Anyone may donate.
The Perpetual Education Fund functions as an endowment, meaning that all loans are made from interest, while the corpus
(or body of the fund) remains intact. All donations made to the fund go
to the fund corpus. All administrative costs, such as time and
expertise, are donated by volunteers in the Church. Anyone may donate to
the PEF, regardless of affiliation with the LDS church and substantial
donations have been made by members and non-members alike. Because the
program is administered through the LDS church, all donations go
directly toward the loans. The current executive director of the PEF is
former general authority and Church Historian John K. Carmack; the managing director is Richard E. Cook.
The Perpetual Education Fund provides loans to members of the LDS Church seeking additional education, mainly through vocational school
and technical training. In connection with the more recent PEF-B
program, (and for those already part of the International Education Fund
program) opportunities for university education are also available. In 2005, career training options requested included: school teacher,
network administrator, computer science, systems analyst, human resource
specialist, flight attendant, managerial, clinical lab technician,
computer support technician, university faculty, political analyst,
physician's assistant, physical and corrective therapy assistant, lawyer
and judge.
Potential loan recipients first complete a short training program on
personal finance, budgeting and career planning and work with a loan
administrator to select viable vocational and educational options for
their particular region. Recipients are encouraged to work, if possible,
during their schooling to provide for their own living expenses.
Loans for tuition and fees are paid directly by the fund to the
educational institution, further reducing the potential for
mismanagement. 
During the course of the loan, recipients make small, manageable
payments and participate in regular progress reviews. PEF loans average
about $800 and the average training program of a Perpetual Education
Fund loan recipient lasts 2.6 years. More substantial payments on the
loan begin 90 days after graduation and the loans are usually scheduled
to be paid off, with a modest 3-4% interest, over the course of 2–6
years. Recipients are also encouraged to make further contributions to the
fund as their circumstances allow. Loan repayments and subsequent
donations are channeled back into the fund corpus, making it a truly
“perpetual” resource.
Less than 18 months after its inception, the PEF had disbursed more than 5,000 loans.
Within three years (2004), approximately 10,000 young adults had
received loans from the fund. By 2007, the numbers had climbed to 27,000
students in 39 different countries, and in late 2009, it was announced that over 40,000 people had received loans through the program.
The Perpetual Education Fund has made loans to students in more than 50 countries, including Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Mexico, Mongolia, Peru, the Philippines, India, Fiji, Tonga, South Africa, Ghana, and Nigeria.
As of 2007, PEF loan recipients reported average monthly wage
increases from US$179 before schooling to US$756 immediately on
completion of their training program, more than a 320% increase.
Now as of the end of March there are 7,124 loans in Peru alone.
Here is part of a mid-March letter from Elder Carmack that has global information:
Monthly PEF Key Indicator Report and Priesthood Sustaining Process Number 84
Dear Elder Uceda and the South America Northwest PEF Committee:
Later
this month, we will celebrate the eleventh anniversary of the PEF
program. It seems like only yesterday that President Hinckley announced
the beginning of this inspired program. During the last 11 years, the program has helped 52,757 participants in 52 countries throughout the world. For
the most part, these young people are completing their education,
finding employment, and improving their lives both temporally and
spiritually. With the Lord’s help, the program continues to provide hope
to an increasing number of our worthy members.
Worldwide Progress
We just completed the best February in the history of the PEF program. Some of the highlights in the last year include:
· We added 5,695 new participants this month. The
growth rate averaged 12%, and ranged from 4% in our largest area Brazil
to 30% in Africa Southeast, 33% in the Caribbean, and 40% in the
Pacific Islands.
· The cumulative repayment rate is up by more than 8/10’s point from last year. This
includes a 2.2 point improvement to 93.9% in the repayment rate on the
new participants, and a 3.1 point improvement to a new high in the
repayment rate in the first 12 months after school.
· Employment is up 1.2 points to 90.2%, with improvement in 11 of our 13 areas.
· Better work is up 1.4 points, equaling last month´s new high of 79.3%.
· The only Key Indicator that declined is graduation, which was down 1/10th point to 67.6% (despite an improvement of 1/10th point from last month).
PEF is modeled after the Perpetual Emigration Fund, which was
established more than 150 years ago. The emigration fund was established
to help faithful saints from around the world gather to Zion. It is
estimated that as a result of the Emigration Fund, more than 30,000
saints arrived.
The layout of the PEF is very simple. Applicants apply for a loan and
upon acceptance are given what they need for their education. When they
are done, they are expected to make small monthly payments, until they
have repaid the amount they were given.
Before Francini Presença from Brazil used the PEF to further her
education, she was jobless in Manaus and lacking professional experience
to help her land a good job. Her father had passed away a few months
earlier, and there wasn’t enough money in the family to provide her with
a means of reaching university.
J. Alfonso Robledo, Mexico, was jobless, cramped in a small room at the
bottom of a rotting staircase and struggling to provide for his wife and
young daughter. He had few options and little hope of finding a job
that would provide him the means of getting his family out of a
difficult situation. Fortunately, he was able to turn his life around
with the support of his wife and the Perpetual Education Fund.
How many Raul's and Alfonso's are there today?
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