In Peru, according to experts, around 16.6 million people including adults and children, do not have access to adequate and enough food. The world food crisis is affecting the economy of families in Peru mainly in staple groceries and basic family necessities, increasing unemployment, poverty, malnutrition, and anemia.

The political-economic crisis that we are experiencing in the country is seriously affecting the informal and occasional jobs that most of the parents of our participants have, and therefore their basic family necessities. High costs, low availability due to low production, and social conflicts have a negative impact. The last three years have been difficult; families faced a variety of problems in the general uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 crisis. The most significant ones were health and the economy. Many households lost their livelihoods and informal work increased.

To meet both needs, we designed an Intervention Plan where families have been supported in their monthly food through food baskets, and health care with support in the purchase of medicines. Also, emotional, and psychological restoration programs for participants and their families strengthen the health and esteem of the participants through Mental Health Campaigns and gatherings with pastors as a special space to feel connected. Technology support was also provided for the development of their classes (tablets, internet), and school reinforcement.

This year, 1,923 participants will be receiving a tablet for their school reinforcement. 2,059 young people received scholarships for studies in English institutes and/or university studies. 3,212 participants received support in entrepreneurship for the generation of their resources. 1,800 families received seed capital for small businesses, allowing many mothers to work close to home and maintain the care of their children while generating resources.

Partner churches continue to work on achieving the expected results in children and youth. To address the economic impact of the pandemic and the global food crisis, partner churches with the support of Compassion Peru are joining efforts to develop entrepreneurial strategies with young people and their families, such as: selling food, fruits, desserts, juices, and textiles, among others.

We provide them with the initial capital to start their small businesses, with more than 1,800 businesses supported by the complimentary interventions and programs nationwide. On the other hand, food baskets are also provided to the most vulnerable participants.

In the area of health, we continue to carry out health monitoring with the work of health professionals, which consists of home visits, weight and height focused on early childhood to identify cases of malnutrition or anemia and to help and intervene promptly, as well as the implementation of health topics in partnership with public entities.

Thanks to this support, more than 30 thousand health cases of participants and their families have been reimbursed. We not only care for the physical health but also the mental well-being of our children.

An answered prayer that I can share is the case of Vidalina, the mother of the participants Maria and Jorge. Her story is very sensitive since she suffered physical abuse for a long time. She always prayed to God for the safety of her little ones and a better life for them. She saw the answer to her prayers when their kids were sponsored just in the time of pandemic and thanks to the program, the support of the Pastor, and all the staff of the partner church. Today Vidalina can live in peace and comfort with her children; she feels loved and protected.

We are pleased that through educational interventions we are making a difference in the non-formal education of participants. Since in the last year, we have acquired more than 2,073 tablets, which are being allocated to more than 1,900 participants for use in virtual classrooms to reinforce their academic performance.

This was also accompanied by the preparation and training for the tutors of the programs, thus allowing the development of both participants and technical skills in the volunteer staff of our church partners.

In addition, we will soon implement Minkedu, a virtual platform for online training for the caregivers of our participants, allowing them to play a more active role in the training and education of their children. We are happy to see the results of the program in each participant, as they become agents of change in their communities.

An example is the case of Rode, a young graduate of the Compassion program, a lawyer by profession. She is currently working at the Supreme Court of Justice. And in her role as an assistant in the Supreme Court Justice's office, she provides support to the cases to impart justice. A young woman committed to the cause of the weakest and most vulnerable, with a passionate heart for teaching children in her local church. As an organization, we are aware of the need to attend to the most vulnerable families in their context and we have managed to respond in some way to a challenge that will continue to grow in the coming years, and we are preparing for it.