Project Peru

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Llamkaq Warmi

In Villa El Salvador there is a craft group called Llamkaq Warmi. The craft group got together some years ago with the aim of using the skills they had to make some money of their own for their households. The women work sewing the arpilleras or glueing and sewing the cards from their own homes; it is work they can do while caring for their children, and it is work they are proud of.

Project Peru has a limited supply of these craft goods for sale in the UK and has recently been able to supply this group with a number of manual sewing machines which have been renovated in the UK and donated to us by Workaid. These sewing machines have been sent to Peru as part of the regular shipments of goods that we are able to collect and send to Peru.

Project Peru supports this organisation of seven women from Villa El Salvador, and a number of other groups who make cards, arpilleras and other artesania from their homes, by buying their products at a fair price to sell at craft stalls in the UK. The Peru Support Group describes Llamkaq Warmi's work as follows:

"The money they earn from their work is split between them, some of the money is invested back into the business, for the purchase of materials, and the rest is shared out. Most of the women use the money for everyday things, or things which we probably take for granted, they buy materials to improve their houses, buy school books, and pay enrolment fees for their children to study.

"One of the women, Lali, is a single mother with a small daughter, part of the money she earns from making the crafts is spent on buying ingredients in bulk for her small business making cakes. Like many Peruvian women Lali works in the informal sector, she bakes cakes at home and then sells slices on the streets; buying the raw ingredients in bulk means that she can earn more from the cake that she sells. Lali also uses the money she earns to pay for medicines for her daughter. Like many of the inhabitants of Villa El Salvador Lali lives very close to the sea. Her house, which is made of wood and straw, offers little shelter and like many people, especially children, her young daughter suffers from bronchitis. The other women say that Lali used to be very quiet and that she used never to give her own opinions, they tell me that through her work with the group she has gained both confidence and self esteem.

"The women are organised; they meet once a week to bring in the work they've been doing, to comment and give advice and to support each other. The income from the business is sporadic, they depend largely on outside organisations and foreign visitors for their sales, although they continue to try and find a niche in the Peruvian national or tourist market by attending trade fairs. The women from the group also attend a group workshop session where they get together with other members of the community and learn leadership skills."

Villa El Salvador

Villa El Salvador is an area on the southern side of Lima. It began in 1971 as a large land invasion and over time became a large well organised city with its own identity and independent character. In May 1971 7,000 were relocated to areas in the Tablada de Lurín, an area which was to become Villa El Salvador. A nucleus of community leaders negotiated with the government over the provision of the urgent needs of the community such as a road linking the area with Lima, the building of schools, street lighting and the distribution of drinking water. Over the last 30 years the Villa El Salvador has grown in size and number, it now has a population of around 500,000 people, it is made up of 10 zones, stretching out into the desert and down almost to the sea, and Villa El Salvador continues to grow. Community leaders of the new invasions continue to fight for the basic rights of the community including the right to live on the land they have inhabited.

Like any other city Villa El Salvador has well developed, well maintained areas and newer makeshift areas. The oldest zones with the lowest numbers are now up to 30 years old, and incorporate few of the characteristics you would associate with the typical shanty town. In some parts of Villa El Salvador there are houses with multiple storeys, businesses, paved roads, electricity, running water, and the recent introduction of a grassy avenue leading up to the main market constructed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Villa El Salvador. But further out, the paved roads end and become dirt roads, the houses go from two stories, to unfinished one storeys, to buildings of wood and metal, to straw shacks. Areas with full running water become areas where the water comes through intermittently, become places where drinking water is brought by truck twice a week. Like any city in any country there are varying degrees of wealth that is usually evident in the condition and situation of the housing.

Many new projects are the direct result of individual initiatives that raising funds locally, as was done with this new medical centre in Villa El Salvador and these projects with children.

A similar experience can be seen in many other parts of greater Lima including the Cono Norte, where the Project Peru refuge is situated.

See also Latin America – Migration to the Cities in our Peru section.