Visit to a completely different Lima

Today I - Martin - am writing because Amke was not with me on my trip to San Juan de Lurigancho. This is one of the so-called 'pueblos jovenes' of Lima. These are the parts where Lima grows quite uncontrollably. San Juan de Lurigancho alone has about 1.2 million inhabitants - nobody knows exactly. It is particularly attracting the poor who come to Lima from the Sierra or the Selva, hoping to find a better life here. However, here they only find great poverty for now - and partly permanently.

Together with two church leaders and my colleague from the German-speaking Catholic community, we drove for about an hour and a half (so fast because our Peruvian driver drove very fast and sometimes daring) through heavy traffic. Even down in the valley, the buildings became increasingly poorer, but in the actual slums, the tiny huts cling to the very steep slopes of the city like honeycombs. In the event of a stronger earthquake - and Lima is very threatened by earthquakes - they have hardly any chance of surviving.

Our destination was an 'olla comun' that had asked us for support. These are associations of women who cook together for themselves and others. Each family - often single mothers - pays half a Euro per meal - if they can afford it. The mothers take turns cooking. Sometimes they receive food donations from companies or stores - like our food banks - or they buy them with their income. The path to 'our' olla comun led us half an hour uphill on foot. The residents often walk these paths several times a day. It is also the exhausting path to school for the children. The mothers welcomed us with a lunch and told us about their problems. There is no running water anywhere, but one must have a tank that is filled once a week by a tanker truck. However, this has to be paid for dearly. Otherwise, you have to carry each bottle up from the valley individually. They would also like to have a refrigerator, as otherwise the donated food quickly spoils.

We laughed so much with these courageous women. One of our church leaders counted, for example, what they would probably need - besides a tank and a refrigerator, they also need a foundation for the tank and a few plates - he also asked if we shouldn't also deliver a few men so that they wouldn't have to take care of the children alone. They laughed heartily and said, 'Yes, but only those who bring money; we have more than enough of the others.'

The visit was very distressing because the poverty is much greater than pictures can show. The state only contacts them when there is an election for a mayor or representative. But the resilience of these women deeply moved me.