Although Peru is an amazing country with many things to recommend it, it is also plagued by poverty. Lima, Cusco, and other cities are home to thousands of street children, who have nowhere else to go. Many of these children were abandoned because their parents could no longer afford to feed them, while others ran away on their own to escape violence and mistreatment.
There are about 8 million people in Lima, Peru, and an estimated 3.5 million of them are living in poverty and reside in shantytowns or on the street. According to estimates, there may be as many as 300,000 boys living on the street. Most of Peru’s street children leave their homes when they are between 5-9 years old and rarely survive more than a few years. Some street children make money for food by collecting trash and sorting through it for paper and other scraps to sell. Others are forced to engage in prostitution just to get food to survive. Even so, often they cannot find enough food to eat and end up starving on the street.
Fortunately, some charities aid street children by offering them food, shelter and education. One of these organizations is called The Vine Trust, and its main goal is to improve the lives of these children. The Vine Trust operates several homes for boys and is run by a former Church of Scotland minister who goes by Papa Noel.
The Vine Trust also has a medical project, which helps assist families with their various hardships and thereby reduces the incidence of young boys being cast out of or leaving. They have a large boat which functions as a mobile hospital in the upper Peruvian Amazon. It treats approximately 2,000 people every 10 days and is staffed by medical personnel from Scotland.
If you plan to study Spanish in Peru, be prepared that this is a widespread problem that is quite shocking. However, there are ample opportunities to volunteer to help these street children. You can also donate money at the Vine Trust’s website and encourage your friends and family to do so as well.