Poverty and Hunger in Peru
Poverty is described as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support, while hunger is a feeling of discomfort or weakness caused by lack of food, coupled with the desire to eat. Both are very prominent issues in our world today effect many people on many different scales. Poverty and hunger effects 3 billion people, that is almost half the world living on less than $5 a day
Food insecurity: the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.
Rapid urbanization and population growth in the shanty towns on the outskirts of Lima, Peru (an extremely wealthy area) and lack of access to basic necessities such as clean water and adequate sanitation, has led to serious negative consequences on both human and environmental health. This has led to the food security in Peru to drop significantly. However, among many of Lima’s poor neighborhoods, community-based solutions are emerging that tackle these problems in collaborative and sustainable ways. Food production within city limits has recently come to the forefront as a strategy to improve food security among poor, landless households. The capacity for engagement in urban agriculture is especially important when food access is compromised due to prevalent unemployment, under-employment and the fluctuating costs of basic food staples. Child malnutrition is becoming an increasingly important concern in the peripheral poor neighborhoods of Lima. A typical diet in Peru consists of various dishes using chili peppers, beans, squash, corn, and potatoes. In order to be considered healthy a person must be a healthy weight and receiving enough vitamins from food to have energy to grow and stay healthy. In Peru, 11.8% of the population is undernourished, more than 30 per cent of all children under the age of five are chronically malnourished, and six in 10 children are anemic. Anemia is a major health challenge in Peru: the condition has long-term effects on brain development, which can lead to decreased learning capacity.
Jobs in Peru: Many jobs in Peru have to do with extracting resources because mining is very big there. In addition many people fish or find work in the tourism field (maid, chauffeur, tour guide, salesman). Nestle and Johnson Johnson also have factories in Peru which require a labor force. Finally drug trade is a large means for business in Peru seeing as the country is one of the main exporters of cocaine to the US and Europe. A huge issue in Peru is that of child labor. As many as 50,000 children as young as six years old are sent into gold mines to work obscene amounts of hours in horrific condtions. Though people are working to put this to an end it is still a problem.
Housing in Peru: Though there are several nice houses for the rich Peruvians of Lima many villagers live in small run-down shacks with their entire families. The houses have no light, air conditioning, or sewage.
Jobs in Peru: Many jobs in Peru have to do with extracting resources because mining is very big there. In addition many people fish or find work in the tourism field (maid, chauffeur, tour guide, salesman). Nestle and Johnson Johnson also have factories in Peru which require a labor force. Finally drug trade is a large means for business in Peru seeing as the country is one of the main exporters of cocaine to the US and Europe. A huge issue in Peru is that of child labor. As many as 50,000 children as young as six years old are sent into gold mines to work obscene amounts of hours in horrific condtions. Though people are working to put this to an end it is still a problem.
Housing in Peru: Though there are several nice houses for the rich Peruvians of Lima many villagers live in small run-down shacks with their entire families. The houses have no light, air conditioning, or sewage.
Giving poverty a human face...
read this article: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/dec/22/perus-drive-to-stamp-out-people-trafficking-undermined-by-high-growth
Poverty is more than a number and a statistic. It also affects more than a persons health. It affects their self worth and their sense of morality.
This article discusses the issue of human trafficking in Peru and why it is such a controversial issue. Poverty in Peru has become so extreme it drives people to make desperate and irrational decisions. Not only is there little known about how awful human trafficking is in Peru the only legislation in fighting it was passed this year. Slavery is an issue of discussion in Peru because of how desperate people are for money. Can you imagine being so poor that selling one of your family members was a better option than continuing to live in the conditions you were in? There are over 66,000 slaves in Peru, predominately women and children of slums. Many people in Peru feel as though selling their family to make money to survive is the only option because they receive no assistance from their government. The poor of Peru feel shoved in a corner and alone with nobody to help them.
Luckily there is an organization called The International Organization of Migration (IOM) who is working to alleviate human trafficking in Peru. Though these people are trying to put an end to the slave trade in Peru, they must do this gently and gradually because human trafficking is such a controversial issue. Some civilians believe that taking away slavery is taking away their only option at survival. If the IOM comes on to strong they are at risk of being attacked and killed. It is not just a matter of ending slavery in Peru it is a matter of educating the people on the truths behind slavery and giving them an alternate option at making money to survive. The poverty in Peru has led to this awful trend of slavery and must be put to an end.
Luckily there is an organization called The International Organization of Migration (IOM) who is working to alleviate human trafficking in Peru. Though these people are trying to put an end to the slave trade in Peru, they must do this gently and gradually because human trafficking is such a controversial issue. Some civilians believe that taking away slavery is taking away their only option at survival. If the IOM comes on to strong they are at risk of being attacked and killed. It is not just a matter of ending slavery in Peru it is a matter of educating the people on the truths behind slavery and giving them an alternate option at making money to survive. The poverty in Peru has led to this awful trend of slavery and must be put to an end.
Sources
http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Peru.html
http://kff.org/global-indicator/population-undernourished/
http://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/south-america/peru
http://www.demotix.com/news/571713/malnutrition-high-among-perus-indigenous-children
http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Peru.html
http://kff.org/global-indicator/population-undernourished/
http://www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk/south-america/peru
http://www.demotix.com/news/571713/malnutrition-high-among-perus-indigenous-children