Paloma Bellatin was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She studied political science and interned at the think tank GRADE on projects related to segregation, gender and violence in rural areas. After graduating top of her class, she worked in the Social Protection Division of the FAO-UN Rome headquarters on policy support regarding decent rural employment and rural youth. She later returned to Lima to work in the World Bank IFC on rural community development in conflict-prone mining areas. Paloma also co-founded the Young Professionals in Agricultural Development (YPARD) Peru chapter, and led a team in advocacy for better policies for rural youth. In summer 2018 she is working in Liberia for Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) on cash transfers and gender based violence reduction projects.