Peru
Hans Guerrero Pinchi and other young people no longer work the streets thanks to the CRS-supported Casa da COCID. Photo by Jim Stipe/CRS
Although Peru has shown sustained economic growth in recent years and is now considered a middle-income country, huge gaps between rich and poor still pose major challenges.
Growth has been driven by oil and gas production and mining, which have environmental costs and affect the health of indigenous people, causing conflicts between companies and communities. These conflicts show that true development means not only increasing revenue through private investment, but also distributing that revenue equitably through social programs that provide health care, housing, high-quality education and other services for all Peruvians, especially the disenfranchised.
CRS' strategy for sustainable management of natural resources and the environment emphasizes the rights of indigenous communities and combines innovative projects with local, regional and international advocacy to address underlying causes of conflict and inequality.
Although natural resources (land, water, minerals, oil and gas) are Peru's main source of revenue, indigenous and other disenfranchised groups benefit least. Profit from extractive industries far exceeds investment in local communities. Poverty reduction requires promotion of indigenous people's rights, changes in legal frameworks and equitable distribution of benefits.
Our projects work with indigenous leaders to build their capacity for negotiating with companies and government officials over development plans and distribution of benefits, as well as for mitigating conflicts within communities and between ethnic groups. They also train church workers to assist indigenous communities. Other projects focus on small agricultural enterprises for farmers and prevention of trafficking of adolescent women for the sex trade.
Our projects assist people in the regions of Amazonas, Junín, San Martín, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Arequipa and Cusco.
Stats
| Population: | 29,248,943 (July 2011 est.) |
| Size: | 496,225 sq. mi.; slightly smaller than Alaska |
| People Served: | 48,805 (2011 est.) |
History
Our strategy for sustainable management of natural resources and the environment emphasizes dialogue and new types of relationships among communities, the government and private enterprise.
We focus our efforts on the Amazonian and Andean regions, where indigenous communities are located in areas dominated by mining and extraction of natural resources.
With an emphasis on rights and advocacy for more equitable and inclusive policies, the goal is for stakeholders to learn to manage their differences and transform conflicts into opportunities, and for communities to be included in development and decision-making processes that affect them.
Partners
The Peruvian Conference of Bishops' Social Action Commission (Comisión Episcopal de Acción Social, CEAS) was founded in 1965 to support diocesan social ministry programs. Catholic Relief Services has supported the commission for more than 20 years. Our joint programs currently focus on peacebuilding, especially in dioceses affected by mining.
