Pucusana: The Epitome Of Poverty Next To Vast Opulence
What years of political and economic instability did to a village and an entire country
Where to start? I am Peruvian. Here, we’ve had four Presidents in the last five years — you read correctly, FIVE YEARS and it seems that we’ll soon go for the fifth. Also, in the COVID-19 pandemic, we have broken a worldwide record: having the highest mortality rate.
Throughout this period, our health system collapsed and brought light to how unprepared we were to deal with a crisis and the fallout was tremendous. I remember people forming large queues for oxygen tanks to aid their relatives who were in the hospital, many had lost their jobs (my dad included), and the education was the one who suffered the most as many children had neither internet connection nor devices for attending virtual classes.
It seemed that twenty years of relative progress were wiped out as it has never happened or it was just a fantasy.
Anyway, that was 2020. Now let’s talk about this year.
On July 28, we celebrated the bicentennial, two hundred years of independence. Despite the quarantine, there were a whole bunch of events, gastronomic fairs, and bands walking down the streets playing “Esta es mi tierra” and “Ritmo, color y sabor” with people cheering from their homes.
That same day we had elections. Pedro Castillo Terrones assumed the presidency of Peru. and our country was extremely polarized. About 51% voted for him and 49% voted for the other candidate and as a result, conflicts between lefts and rights increased as I have never seen in my entire life.
Now when you say that you are from the left they immediately label you as someone who wants to nationalize all the private companies and burn down mining establishments. If you say that you are from the right it means that you are a conservative who advocates for a free market economy (because you own a company) without caring for the rest.
These are just stereotypes that have become popular since July.
I forgot to mention, the dollar value has increased from 3,14 to 4,06 soles so inflation is at its peak. Also, the new variant, then Delta and now Omicron, is terrorizing the country because it is suspected that we are entering the third wave of infections and the consequences can be catastrophic.
With all the stress and endless problems, it is of no surprise that I had to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city — ASAP.
Unfortunately, money was falling short so my parents and I decided to stay one week in a town named Pucusana located 60km south of Lima, Peru.
What I saw during that week completely changed my self-centered view when I witnessed the living conditions of the inhabitants in that place.
Regarding Pucusana, it can be said that this district is divided into two beaches that mark the life of every citizen ashore: Naplo and, after the name of the district, Pucusana. The only thing that connects the two areas is a dark, gloomy, prone to collapsing tunnel where cars and people pass through.
In Naplo there are beautiful, ornamented, residences while in the Pucusana, prefab houses occupy the barrios.
A broken government leads to broken systems.
Pucusana is the poorest village on the coast of Peru. It mainly depends on the seasonal fishing trade of large companies— only three or four months to obtain an annual income.
Fishermen, predominantly ones who quit school or did not have the same opportunities to obtain a more stable job, sail offshore in their wooden fish boats at 9 p.m and come back when the sun has not appeared yet, at 4 a.m. to start selling their catch in the markets near the port.
That’s the source of earnings for most of the population there and it is not enough to sustain their families pushing them to stressful, jaded lives struggling to survive day by day.
Another activity here is summer tourism. From December to March, upper-class families come to Pucusana for its stunning beaches and stay in Naplo where there are several facilities from a yacht club and tennis courts to pools and a playground with the sign “FOR MEMBERS ONLY”.
Ironically despite tourism, visitors are not moved to help the underprivileged, and very little is done to improve the living conditions of the community.
The division to what seems to be two different worlds causes the entire town of Pucusana to suffer from corruption, complete isolation, and poor security out the streets and inside families where children endure domestic violence.
After March the town comes back to be deserted for the rest of the year.
The education system is at the forefront of Pucusana’s issues. The acceptance rate to college is a mere 2 percent due to the poor investment in pedagogy in the town and the country in general at public schools.
Reading, math, and science are what most children struggle with and in the pandemic, the situation has worsened dramatically. Last year, 230 000 students dropped off school increasing the educational gap in the country.
In Pucusana’s coastline, there are a lot of fishermen who have no idea how much ocean pollution affects their trade and their health.
“People suffer from water-borne illnesses such as pneumonia and escherichia Coli because they drink unclean water. Diabetes and obesity are leading health problems too due to the cheap, packed, items they eat.”
With no progress, this endless cycle of unawareness will continue and change won’t ever be possible.
During my stay in Pucusana I discovered the poor conditions people were living under. It felt like the decades of prosperity we were told about had not occured to all parts of Peru, leaving aside places that were outside the industrialized, polluted, grey-skied capital of Lima.
Only a one-hour drive marked the difference.
We are so proud of our multi-diverse cultures, huge biodiversity, world-class gastronomy, and rich natural resources but in my view, none of that matters if it does not contribute to the development of society instead of one small group.
I came there blind of what I was going to see and I left taken aback.
Something that virtually everyone in Peru already acknowledges but is not determined enough to do anything until he or she witnesses it with their own eyes.
Thankfully, there are ones who are standing to speak up about the problem. One example is the Pucusana Project, a nonprofit working to alleviate poverty in Pucusana created by Allison Wallace. Their work has proved that in the midst of the pandemic change can be done.
They have set up soup kitchens in the poorest neighborhoods, started door-to-door deliveries to families, launched free community educational programs, and provided training for women giving them a chance to succeed in this competitive, chaotic world.
We know how to help, so let’s get started.
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