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A DETERMINED CHILD<o:p></o:p>I was born poor and my parents were not married – in fact, my father already had a wife. My name was Eva Duarte and we lived in Catholic Argentina. Everyone in our village looked down upon my mother and her five illegitimate children. I was the youngest.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F2d5d9faf1fac471b8887e6a74587877a" alt="" style="width: 403.799px; height: 319.781px;"> <o:p></o:p>When I was a year old, my father left and did not return. He didn’t help with money even though he was wealthy. Mother earned money by sewing clothes for neighbours, but we were treated as outcasts. <o:p></o:p>At school, my favourite lessons were singing and dancing. I landed a part in the school play, and from that day I dreamed of becoming an actress. <o:p></o:p>When I was 15 I went to the capital, Buenos Aires. Times were hard and many were out of work so there was a lot of hunger and poverty. To survive, I had to take any job I could find. <o:p></o:p>A FAMOUS ACTRESS<o:p></o:p>In the evenings, I took part in theatrical groups. In 1936 I toured Argentina with a theatre company and got a part in a small film. I was only 17 and it felt like my dream was coming true. <o:p></o:p>I took part in a daily radio drama series on Radio El Mundo, the largest station in the country. This led to Radio Belgrano offering me a five-year contract. I played many famous roles, especially as part of the Great Women of History series. <o:p></o:p>By 1943 I was earning five thousand pesos a month – Eva Duarte was no longer a poor girl.<o:p></o:p>FIRST LADY OF ARGENTINA<o:p></o:p>In January 1944, a massive earthquake hit the town of San Juan. Up to 10,000 people died and many more were injured. Juan Perón, Secretary of Labour, set up an artistic festival to raise funds for the victims. As a well-known entertainer, I was also invited. At the gala party afterwards, I met Juan Perón.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F9ab9b6e16a934fdc81e8fc56675030b0" alt="" style="width: 329.484px; height: 427.5px;"> <o:p></o:p>Juan wanted to become President of Argentina and on my radio broadcast, Towards a Better Future, I often mentioned his work.<o:p></o:p>In October 1945, Juan was put in prison by a group of military men who did not support him. I organised a mass demonstration of about 300,000 people. Within two days, Juan was out of prison and to celebrate, we were married on the same day. After that, Juan had many people on his side.<o:p></o:p>On my radio show, I talked mainly to women. Women had been ignored in politics, but I began to speak at political meetings. I asked people to call me Evita, meaning ‘Little Eva’, and told them that Juan could help them and their families. He swept to power in the 1946 election.<o:p></o:p>So at the age of 27, I was the president’s wife. I established the Eva Perón Foundation, to help the poor and give people in need a better chance in life. Within a few years, we had raised over 200 million dollars and employed over 14,000 people.<o:p></o:p>POWER AND PAIN<o:p></o:p>In 1947, Evita City was built, along with hospitals and schools. Helping poor children and meeting with the sick, the needy, and people who were outcasts, was really important to me. I had once been an outcast myself and knew what it felt like. <o:p></o:p>I struggled for years to get women the right to vote. I created the Female Perónist Party, just for women, and I was voted its president. Finally the law was changed in 1947, and in 1951 almost four million women voted for the first time. Sadly for me, it was to also be my last time.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fd585bb61f93b4306831c03d5052c5b09" alt="" style="width: 390.757px; height: 293.719px;"> <o:p></o:p>The first women were voted into office and Juan was elected as president again. Over two million people rallied and asked me to be vice-president, but I had to say no as my energy levels were falling.<o:p></o:p>On 9 January 1950, I fainted in public. I found out I had advanced cancer.<o:p></o:p>I grew weak and thin, but I continued to do whatever I could to help my husband and my country. On 7 May 1952, my 33rd birthday, I was given the title of ‘Spiritual Leader of the Nation’ by Juan. It was important to me that I played such an important role in his career and in the future of my beloved Argentina.<o:p></o:p>GLOSSARY<o:p></o:p>Illegitimate – a child not recognised in law due to being born to parents not married to each other.<o:p></o:p>Outcasts – people who have been rejected by their society or social group.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Remembered as one of Argentina’s most influential figures in history, Eva Perón’s work encouraged women to be treated as equals and raised awareness of poverty. Upon Eva Perón’s death, the nation went into deep mourning, and July 26, the date of her death, is marked annually by Argentineans.</li><li>To mark the 60th anniversary of her death in 2012, Eva Perón was featured on the 100-peso note. The design marked the first time a woman appeared on an Argentinian bill in 200 years.</li><li>Evita, the musical based on Eva Perón’s life, has been playing to audiences since 1978. A film based on the musical, starring Madonna as Eva Perón, was released in 36 countries in 1996.</li><li>The Evita Museum in Buenos Aires is home to her many ball gowns, portraits, and memorabilia. The museum is housed in the mansion that was once a shelter set up by Eva Perón for single mothers.</li></ul><o:p></o:p><div>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITSEva and her siblings at a carnival, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsEva and Juan Perón, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsEva Perón greeting the public, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons</div>&nbsp;

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