Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Last month, when I was taking a short walk in Barranco, I passed by the Municipal Park and was surprised to hear live music coming from the Band Shell. Looking over I saw a brightly covered tent and a large crowd gathered in front of the musicians. Always being a person who enjoys a good Salsa Band I wandered over to see what was going on.

To my delight I saw that it was a celebration for the Senior Citizens of Barranco. It was a day to make them feel special and an outing to enjoy on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

It was a nice surprise for me to find this and see that the citizens of Peru had such an appreciation for the elder population.

Along many quiet backwaters of Amazon tributaries, where the only form of transport is a canoe, there is always someone with a battery-powered radio.

With that in mind, Eliana Elías began a radio program called Bienvenida Salud (Welcome Health), to reach women in the Amazon basin, to empower them by helping them discover their self-worth, and to help their families as a natural consequence.

Based in Iquitos, the program is still going strong after 11 years and produces lively skits or soap operas to cover issues of spiritual, mental and physical health.

A graduate of law from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, Mauricio Aguinaga first became involved with Un Techo para Mi País when he was studying. He was impressed by the organization, but more so by its mission, to help the poorest of the poor. “I would go about my day, not even paying attention to people selling candy in the streets, and it was Un Techo that opened up my eyes to the striking contrast between poverty and privilege that characterizes Peru,” he states.

Un Techo para Mi País is an organization that, for the sum of S/. 3,300, builds emergency housing in the poorest areas around Lima. To read more about the organization, in an exclusive interview with Un Techo’s Social Director Álvaro Calado, click here.

This article is a continuation of a series of articles about the NGO TechnoServe.

To read the first article in the series, as well as the history of TechnoServe, click here.

TechnoServe works with the rural poor to improve their quality business ideas in potential markets.

In today's article, we will focus on the story of Mr. Eligio, and his dairy business in the region of Cajamarca.

Read on to hear about his challenges, and precisely why TechoServe was able to lead him and his business to financial success.

By Marie-Louise Sai

This past Thursday, members of Lima Sunrise Rotary Club had the pleasure of listening to Maria De la Lama from the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional where she is presently the director.

Maria De la Lama highlighted the importance of mastering the English language in Lima for the purpose of business. In today’s global economy, where major firms have branches and businesses in most areas of the world, it is beneficial to be fluent in English.

At the Instituto Pedagógico Nacional, the English lessons and objectives correspond with the practical use of language learning. In other words, the students learn from real life situations, whereby the context of the language taught has a function in every day business life. 

Following the model of other international initiatives such as Teach for America, Teach First UK, and Teach For All, EnseñaPeru is recruiting talented, motivated and creative young graduates to commit themselves to a two-year teaching program where they can work on improving the quality of education.

As Alvaro Henzler, CEO of EnseñaPeru demonstrates, participating in the program is a win-win-win situation for everybody.

Society and children benefit from an education of excellence, corps members will learn about leadership and motivation, and companies sponsoring their work at schools will benefit by being able to hire skilled, motivated and talented workers.

By
Maarten Warnaars

The daily chaos commuters face in Lima will abate slightly with the new modern public transportation system being constructed by Lima’s mayor, Luis Castañeda.

Over the past few week citizens of Lima have been escorted to the subterranean central bus station, below the Paseo de los Héroes Navales in the center of Lima, as a promotional scheme for Limeños to get to know the new project.

This subterranean bus station is part of the larger ambitious public transportation project, El Metropolitano.

It isn’t a phrase one hears much in Lima. In fact, every time I say it, I get looks of disbelief from locals and foreigners alike. But, I love combis.

There is something charming about dominating the public transportation system in Lima. Mastering the combis and micros is a feat, an accomplishment, a thing of pride.

There is something delightful, and oh so Peruvian, about the transit system of Lima.

This week LivinginPeru.com continues its monthly series featuring articles about life in various Peruvian cities and towns.

This month we are featuring the second largest city in Peru, Arequipa, written by Micah Cantley.

Micah has lived in Arequipa with his wife and children since May of 2005.

November will be a busy month for the Peruvian association “Una Ventana Abierta para La Mujer en el Mundo” (An Open Window for Women in the World) as it has organized not one, but two annual conferences this year. As a warm-up, 1000 women are expected to attend the November 7 event in the Lima Chamber of Commerce, covering their own costs and registration fees.

For those more than 9000 micro and small enterprises who could not afford to pay the 30 soles registration fee, the association’ sponsors like Coca Cola, Concebir, Ajepe, Agua Cielo, etc are making sure that they are not left without leadership and skill workshops either. The second event will take place on November 28 in the Coliseo Eduardo Dibos, San Borja.