In 1949 a lady of
hope entered a packed office full of men, women and children.
All were quietly whispering, many of whom were poor and in despair.
A voice from the crowd announces, "here she comes." To them, she was angelic.
Firstly a woman whos wish was to have a house.
A piece of paper was handed over, and a place with a large bed and clothing
was documented.
The line of visitors continued in an orderly manner toward the table.
Argentina's most powerful woman seated, who herself had once been from a poor
background, was now able to give and give she did.
No one was turned away, and she was their saviour.
We now look at one of the world's most extraordinary ladies Eva Peron.
On 7 May 1919,
a girl was born in the tiny village of Los Toldos in Argentina.
Maria Eva was the youngest of five children.
Her father was Juan Duarte, a local landowner.
Her mother was Juana Ibarguren.
But her father left home before Eva had reached her first birthday.
She remained with her mother and siblings in her home village.
But her fathers going brought hardship to the remaining members of the family.
They moved into a one-room house, now the trappings of poverty
and with little to no money, they struggled.
Eva didn't have many friends; this was due to some children
not being allowed to play with others whose parents were not married.
It left Eva to her own devices, and she would play with her brother
and sisters and dress in homemade costumes
pretending to be a glamourous star of the day.
Her school life was filled with poetry and movies,
and she would read magazines and collect pinups of the movie stars.
When Eva grew older, her dream was to see the bright lights
of Argentina's capital Buenos Aires, a city full of cultural treats.
Her mother was unhappy to see her daughter wanting to go, but
at 15 and dreams of becoming an actress, no one could stop her.
When Eva arrived there, she initially found a cheap place to live
and then actively looked for work within the theatre.
Although acting roles were difficult to find,
she slowly gained some small parts in plays.
Although Eva suffered while chasing her dream, mainly due to lack of funds,
even the most essential things like food would sometimes be unattainable.
But she pursued her calling and never gave up.
When Eva reached 18, she landed her first movie role
but also began to appear in radio broadcasts.
It was a staple diet of entertainment back then,
and many tuned to the radio for their pleasure over the TV.
In 1944 Eva, then
24, started dating a member of the military.
His name was Colonel Juan Peron.
He was a man who had helped worker's groups, which was part of his job
for the government.
Peron carried out significant changes,
all in need to help people less fortunate.
Wage rises, sick leave and other rights were down to him.
Although the people adored this man, some others
at the government level were far from pleased by his actions.
It meant he always had a struggle on his hands in delivering on his promises.
Eva would go along with Peron to political events.
Again, this didn't go down well with the hierarchy
as they stubbornly declared that women should not be a part
of political changes or have a voice in official business.
Eventually, Juan
Peron was arrested and forced to resign,
his policies had gone a little too far,
and although officials regarded this as just, the people demanded his freedom.
Over 200,000 people marched into Buenos
Aires to get the government's ruling overturned.
It made a massive dent into the government's jurisdiction,
the people had spoken, and just four days after his arrest,
Juan Peron was set free.
This massive amount of support started Juan thinking.
He began a campaign to become president of Argentina.
On 22 October 1945, Juan and Eva married.
As a wife, Eva was expected to remain at home
as her husband set off on his campaign, but this didn't happen,
and Eva joined her husband throughout and supported him.
Eva would greet people and hand out gifts such as campaign buttons.
It wouldn't take long before she became as recognisable as her husband.
With his wife's help, Juan Peron would win the 1946 election.
At the age of 27, Eva became the first lady of Argentina.
Unlike many of her predecessors, Eva worked
for the people; she was passionate about helping them.
Her problem solving was second to none,
and she tirelessly continued to attempt to improve their lives.
Yet, it wasn't just in monetary terms; health care
was also a priority alongside retirement plans.
Eva spoke to huge crowds, and it transformed her into a natural ally
and one that also gave her husband great support.
In 1949 Eva knew the plight of women throughout the country
and wanted to bring some new laws in to help them.
She formed a new party that ran parallel to her husband;
it was called the Peronist women's party.
It proved to be a great success, but now, women were elected
to serve in Argentina's congress for the first time.
There are many viewpoints on Eva and what she achieved,
yet the two main ones were the ones that helped her succeed.
The first brings more wealth into households, not just by money, but
essential everyday items such as clothes and food, especially for poorer families.
Her work was never a chore; when her husband slept, Eva could be found
busily making up more packages for the needy in the middle of the night.
Alongside this work, she also began major projects;
these were set up to give her enough funding to continue her ongoing work.
In 1948 Eva started a foundation.
The monies came from the government, worker's groups and employers.
It was a massive success and enabled the building of thousands of schools,
hospitals and homes for children and the poor.
It's said the hospitals had the latest technology, the homes were well furnished,
and the most amazing detail of all is that Eva chose everything herself.
As with all the good, there was always a controversy attached.
The Descamisado, which literally means "without shirt."
loved everything about Eva.
They called her Evita.
But the country's wealthy people struggled to understand why she did what she did
and would often make fun of her, mainly due to her background.
But also given, she spent much on clothes and jewels,
which to some made her hypocritical.
Eva did accept expensive gifts,
but they came from people who wanted to gain her support.
Still, her manipulative way of placing her own family
into important roles only angered the rich further.
Such were the times that the majority of those who disliked her still kept quiet.
Hanging over them was the threat of losing your job
or even becoming imprisoned if you opened up about the government.
Eva Peron
continued, she was by now famous amongst Argentinians,
but the wider world was also taking a keen interest in her and her work.
Eva would tour Europe, she met the pope,
and even the US magazine Time placed her picture on the cover.
But Eva's picture was already a staple diet
for anyone in her own country, and she was everywhere.
Newspapers often reported on her, images were posted on schools, hospitals
and street corners, and even a newly discovered star was named after her.
Songs had been written for her,
and the people wanted her to run for vice president.
Unfortunately, the majority did not know of the illness Eva was carrying.
Cancer had formed, but even by this stage, Eva
continued to work and support her foundation and the country's people.
Sadly time ran out, and Eva Peron died on 26
July 1952; she was 33 years old.
Millions of people came to her funeral;
the streets were swamped as they all wanted to say goodbye.
Many had been waiting up to 15 hours just to get a glimpse
of her funeral procession.
Women were fainting with the most profound sorrow imaginable.
Flowers had been stacked over 20 feet on the wall of a building where her body lay.
And for days after the funeral, the country came to a standstill
and carried out no business.
Shops would close, and even hotel guests had to make their own beds.
Eva Peron had become such a significant influence on people's lives
it seemed unimaginable for the country to continue without her.
Her husband continued, but without the support of his wife,
his rule was eventually ended by the military.
Although they tried to eradicate Eva from their history,
the Descamisados would never forget.
Eva had gained them so many human rights
and power for the first time in Argentinian history.
To the millions who truly knew what type of lady Eva Peron was
and her achievements came the title of saint.
It was a time when being inconsolable was the norm,
and the whole country cried as one for Evita.