Women in action against climate change - how the women of Lima are dealing with climate change

Last week, I attended the meeting 'Mujeres en acción frente al cambio climático' in Villa El Salvador. This district of Lima is only 20 minutes away by bus from Surco, but it looks completely different.

Villa El Salvador is one of the less affluent neighborhoods in Lima and many of the existing social and environmental problems are further exacerbated by climate change. One difficulty is the lack of water, which I discussed with a group of other women. Most of them live in Villa El Salvador and the adjacent neighborhoods, and they told me that they only receive dirty water from the tap, which they have to chlorinate themselves.

On some days, there is no water at all, so they cannot cook, wash, or shower. The only solution is to buy water bottles from stores or the large water tanks that sell drinking water. However, this is usually so expensive that not everyone can afford it.

Other problems caused by climate change were also discussed among the women in various groups on that day. These included health, education, energy, and food scarcity.

The goal of the event was to find solutions in the group on how to overcome the everyday problems that arise.

For me, this was another day where I learned about the many different faces of Lima, and not all of them are beautiful. However, it is encouraging to see how bravely the residents face their difficulties and can find their own solutions.