Peru
HELP International is excited to partner with communities in the beautiful South American country of Peru. Peru is a geographically and culturally diverse country. From north to south, Peru offers arid coastal regions, rich biodiversity in the lush jungles of the Amazonian headwaters, valleys and ancient Andean mountain ruins from the cradle of the Inca empire (including Machu Picchu, one of the new Seven Wonders of the World), and the high plains of the Altiplano. The Altiplano holds Lake Titicaca and at 12,500 feet, it is the world’s highest commercially navigable lake. Peru is located in western South America. It borders the South Pacific Ocean and lies between Chile and Ecuador. The population of Peru is about 29.2 million and 34.8% of Peruvians live below the poverty line.
Peruvian cuisine is very diverse and it differs with elevation. Beef, chicken, pork and guinea pig are prevalent in the mountain regions and are served with a variety of foods that are rich in starches, especially corn, rice and potatoes. People from the coastal regions prefer fish, plantains and rice. As one would assume, seafood is a popular choice for those living in the coastal areas of Peru.
Tourism in Peru is very important for the country because it is the county’s third large industry behind fishing and mining. Tourism is also the most rapidly growing industry in the country and it is growing faster in Peru than in any other country in South America. A great deal of the tourism industry is directed towards archeological monuments and the most popular in the country is Machu Picchu. There are also many adventure tourists that take advantage of Peru’s great geographical diversity and go surfing, sand boarding, rafting, skiing, mountain climbing and four wheeling. There are also many beautiful national parks because 60% of the land in the country is in the Amazon Basin. In addition, Peru has many amazing beaches to visit and some of the most popular ones are Punta Sal and Mancora.
Development in Peru
Peru’s high poverty rate is reflective of its wide gap in wealth. HELP will establish programs in Piura, Peru. We will partner with organizations and community leaders from local population of indigenous peoples. Residents of Piura and the surrounding rural areas can benefit from various HELP projects in public health, business development and education such as constructing adobe stoves and square foot gardens, livestock projects, health and nutrition classes, business consulting, orphanage work and teaching English.
See HELP in Peru
Follow the Peru team blog
Learn more about HELP's Peruvian partners
See past teams' impacts on HELP's YouTube channel
