As you can see from comparing the poverty of the children in the historical photos to modern-day children living in the same countries, there IS a way out of poverty.  Just as the United States, England, France, China, and other countries have made tremendous progress in reducing child poverty, Peru is on the same path and improving every day, but there is still a lot of work to be done.  Education is one of the principal ways of helping people out of poverty.  Where would you be today without the education you received as a child?

Sometimes people don’t understand why people would leave the countryside to live in the slums of the city.  Although there are many beautiful aspects of life while living on a small farm in terms of being close to nature, and close family and neighborly relationships, there are also many very difficult challenges.  Examples of the challenges are unemployment, chronic poverty, lack of medical care, lack of educational opportunities for kids, food and water insecurity due to drought and crop disease, domestic violence, and sexual abuse that cannot be escaped without going away to a new place.

The people who are currently migrating to the cities of Peru may be very similar to your ancestors who migrated a few generations ago from the countryside to the city looking for a better life.  Often they arrive in the city with almost no money.  They go to the edge of the city into what is known as a slum or shantytown and build a dwelling out of whatever materials they can obtain or rent a single room and fit the entire family there.  These people start out with so little and with so many challenges ahead of them but are nonetheless determined to work hard and succeed so they can provide a life of dignity and hope for their children.

Sometimes people who are already established in the city (especially, perhaps, those who have forgotten about the humble roots of their own ancestors), will look down on these migrants and pre-judge them. Some people label them as criminals, invaders, lazy, and hopeless.

However, some people look and think that they want to reach out to these people.  They want to help their children. Some people look and think that there is hope and that the destiny of these children is not fixed by the circumstances of where they were born. They want to help these children succeed because they feel in their heart that it is the right thing to do and because they would have wanted someone to help their own ancestors when they were in a similar situation a few generations ago.

The children that live in these slums are capable of becoming teachers, nurses, doctors, computer programmers….. rocket scientists (you name it!), but right now they are living in very difficult economic situations which, in many cases, limits their ability to achieve their potential.  If you someday get a chance to meet these children and see the environment they live in and learn about the challenges they face, it may shock you emotionally.

If you get the chance to help some of these children overcome the challenges they face and help them on their path to success, it may fill your heart with a joy that you cannot imagine.  Volunteering with Bright Futures Peru is one way to help these children overcome the environment they were born into and help them succeed!