You are making a difference in Peru!
A glimpse of what your sponsored child’s life is like in Peru:
HOME LIFE
- Peru is known for its distinctive cuisine. Both coastal and highland regions rely on soups and rice. Plantains and seafood make up most of the coastal diet, while meat, corn, and potatoes are more common in the highlands.
- People in poverty live in hillside communities or on abandoned land at the outskirts of the city in houses made out of plastic or wood with dirt floors. In the rural areas, many families live in small clusters of houses in fields among the foothills of mountains, alongside their livestock.
- In the highlands, where the cold can be harsh, Peruvian ponchos are a necessity. Woolen or straw hats are also common.
SCHOOL AND EDUCATION
- School is required for children ages 6 to 16, and is free to all Peruvians. Mandatory subjects include math, communications, art, physical education, science, and religious education.
- The school year starts in March and ends in December, because Peru sits in the southern hemisphere. Autumn begins in March and the summer holiday is from the end of December to February.
- Classes are taught in Spanish. However, in some regional primary schools, a local language such as Aymará or Quechua is the language teachers use in the classroom, with Spanish offered as a second language.
PERUVIAN CULTURE
- The Quechua and Aymara, descendants of the Incas, are the two main native cultures of Peru, both of whom speak their native languages and weave threads of their culture with Spanish influences to create a rich blend of art, architecture, and music.
- Peruvian music is distinctive, with a blend of pre-Colombian influences of wind instruments and drums with delicate Spanish-stringed instruments.
- Football (soccer) is the most popular sport.
COUNTRY INFO
Peru is located in western South America, bordered by Ecuador and Colombia in the north, by Brazil and Bolivia to the east, Chile in the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. With habitats ranging from arid plains to the peaks of the Andes mountains and tropical Amazon rainforest, Peru boasts diverse and beautiful landscapes. The famous Incan citadel, Machu Picchu, hides away high in the Andes Mountains above the Urubamba River valley.
- Capital: Lima
- Population: 32,162,184
- Language: Spanish, Quechua, and Aymará
FH IN PERU
In 1982, Food for the Hungry (FH) began working in Peru in response to flooding caused by the effects of the El Niño weather phenomenon. FH later worked in the capital of Lima by sponsoring soup kitchens, carrying out values-based activities with children, as well as an emergency food program emphasizing care for those with tuberculosis. In 1986, FH began child sponsorship and community development programs. Since then, FH has focused efforts on long-term development work in communities across Chepen, Lima, Pucallpa, Chincha, and Huancavelica.
YOUR SPONSORSHIP PROVIDES:
- The necessary tools for families to increase and manage their income, like savings groups and home gardens.
- Vital nutrition, emotional, cognitive, emotional, and social development for children under 5 years old through care groups, where volunteer mothers teach other mothers.
- Education for parents on adequate concepts for child-rearing and healthy family and community relationships to reduce domestic violence.
