We believe in justice (40df:p2)

In October, I visited a friend 400 miles away to celebrate her birthday with her. She did something very unique, holding a dinner and dance party and asked for a donation to a cause that she believed in. An organization based in Lima, Peru called Paz y Esperanza, Spanish for Peace & Hope, was the cause that she supported. Located on the Western Coast of South America, the Amazon covers sixty percent of Peru, it is a land of the Amazon, Inca ruins and the Andes. The country has a history of violence, weak economy and was devastated by a massive earthquake in 2007. The mission of Paz y Esperanza is:to promote justice and the development of the poor and marginalized. Most of you are familiar with the International Justice Mission, which works with Paz y Esperanza . Paz y Esperanza works in the community with local churches to help in these areas:

• Work for Peace
• Work for Justice
• Work for Local Development
• Work for the Environment

A civil association from the evangelical-protestant community of Peru. Our organization contributes to the transformation of people and society by working toward the achievement of a quality of life for everyone that corresponds with God’s intentions. Our work focuses on the promotion of justice and the development of the poor.

If you would like to learn more about what they do, they have some great explanations about their work and their principles, so check out their website: I recommend the tabs Who are we: About, Underlying Principles and What we do.

Peru: country profile and stats and factbook

News headlines about Peru: Poverty and progress:

The capital, the Pacific coastal strip and most of the north of the country are all thriving. The problem is the southern Andean region, where poverty reaches 70% of the population. Helped by tourism, mining and microcredit some Andean cities, such as Cajamarca, Cusco, Huaraz and Huancayo, are prospering. The big divorce is with the surrounding, often mountainous, countryside, where many Andean Indians remain trapped in subsistence farming on small plots. Whereas 60% of the labour force in Lima are waged workers, only 27% are in Apurímac, notes Efraín González, an economist at Lima’s Catholic University.

Suffer the children: KICKING a football around a dusty lot, Judin Quicaño looks like any other boy of four. But stand him against a standard growth chart and he is almost a head shorter than he should be at his age. His mother says that is just his natural build. Health officials say he is among nearly 30% of Peruvian children in his age group who suffer from chronic malnutrition. The figure rises to 90% in places such as Lliupapuquio, a village in Apurímac department in Peru’s heavily Indian southern Andes where Judin lives.

What should you do? Be and stay informed of the needs in other countries. Research a country like I have done here, learn about their economy and their poor, it says a lot.

Updates will follow once or twice more throughout the day. If you are interested follow my RSS feed here:

(The 40 Day Fast: Check out Fay’s post also)