Week 5: Peru

JudyPeru

Judy lives in Lima, Peru with her husband, Teofilo, and eight children.

Sometimes each person in the family has only $1 a day to live on.

Their community is helped by Caritas Australia’s partner, Mercy Family Health Service (MFHS).

Peru is about 15,000 kilometres from Australia.

This is Judy with her family in their home.

It is high on a hill above Lima. There are 246 steps!

Like most houses in this area, Judy’s house has no running water or toilet and the roof is plastic sheeting.

Water is delivered by truck each day. Many houses on Judy’s hill use toilets like the one pictured. Women often earn money hand-washing clothes in cold water.

This is Judy’s water filter. Caritas Australia is helping families to dig ditches and lay pipes for water and sewerage. Judy and Teofilo are building a toilet and bathroom.

Judy washes everything in plastic tubs and uses as little water as possible. These are the family’s guinea pigs.

At the local market, food is uncovered and there are no fridges. It is very dusty. The tricycle contains traditional medicines.

Most people in Peru do not have regular full-time jobs with fair wages and conditions. Many live by selling goods on the street - food, recyclables or corn sheaths (used to feed guinea pigs).

Others run motor taxis like this one, a common form of transport in poorer areas in Peru.

Teofilo cannot always find work in the building industry, so Judy sells food she has made to local shops and on the street. She earns 20 soles, about $7.50, a day.

Vania (3) and her sister Olenka (5) enjoy some of the play activities at the childcare centre run by MFHS nutrition program.

Vania joins in an action song and shows off her painting. Most children here do not have toys or paints at home.

Vania has two meals at the centre. In Peru, almost a fifth of children under five are malnourished (do not have enough healthy food to grow strong). Olenka recovered here from malnutrition in 2010.

MFHS make sure Vania has regular check-ups with a dentist and a doctor or nurse. They also provide home visits and education on nutrition (what to eat in order to stay healthy).

Parents join children for a performance of a well-known nursery story at the centre. Can you guess which story it is?

After the show, volunteer health promoters hand out information about staying healthy and give a talk about nutritious food. The parents will help their children to stay healthy.

Volunteers trained by MFHS run lots of activities. For example, a health promotion campaign on Sundays, home visits and marches for Ecology Day and Infant Education Day.

Carmen and Samuel take part in the senior citizens’ group led by MFHS health promoters. Senior citizens receive no money from the government. Carmen looks after her daughter’s child.

Volunteers give talks for young people on healthy lifestyle. Judy attends with her son, David. The volunteers tell parents how important it is to talk with their children.

Hope for the future – Judy enrols to complete her secondary education.

Children and Sr Joan Doyle, Director of MFHS, thank Caritas for making possible their nutrition program.

Picture credits

Luis Paz