Comprised of over 200 members,
and potentially able to reach thousands, the Association
for the Disabled is a needy organization that receives
no support from the Peruvian government. The Love
For Peru Foundation is helping build a complex for
the disabled which will provide rehabilitation services,
job training and income generation for the local
disabled community. Plans call for the complex to
have a rehab center, bakery, carpentry shop, shoe
repair, virtual library, community kitchen and a
bio-mechanical shop for them to be able to fabricate
and repair their own prosthetics, crutches and wheelchairs.
The Disabled in Peru:
The Poorest Among the Poor
Peru: Disability in
Figures
The following data was compiled
in a study conducted by the Pan-American Health
Organization in 1993, the latest study of its kind
in Peru to date. Sadly, these figures are even more
dramatic today. The study published the following
astonishing findings:
31% of Peruvians suffer from
some type of disability (physical, mental, deafness,
or blindness) Note: Peru’s total population
today is estimated at around 27 million, of
which 31% is 8.37 million
13.1% of Peruvians suffer
from some type of physical disability (13% of
27 million is 3.5 million)
81.19% of those disabled
have never received rehabilitation services
56.67% of those disabled
have no insurance coverage (either full and/or
partial coverage)
52% of those disabled are
supported by their families
Out of the minority of disabled
who have ever received treatment, 70% were treated
at state entities
Year
2005 Poverty Figures for Peru
70% of the Peruvian population
live in poverty
Over 30% of the Peruvian
population live in extreme poverty
Disability
and Poverty in Peru
On one hand, the widespread poverty
contributes greatly to the chances of people to
ever becoming disabled. On the other, the high percentage
of existing disabilities also aggravates the living
conditions among those families already living in
poverty. As a result, in terms of absolute numbers,
the number of families living in poverty is ever
increasing.
In addition, stereotypes in society
often associate the disabled with incompetence,
contagious illnesses, and in some cases even with
sin and/or divine punishment, which lead to discrimination
against them, and for some people to feel either
pity or uncomfortable when around them.
The result of this social marginalization
translates into lack of educational and employment
opportunities for the disabled. By continuously
feeding the poverty cycle, these tendencies pose
serious obstacles for personal, social, and economic
progress. Consequently, the disabled in Peru are
considered the poorest among the poor; sadly, with
no signs of relief in sight.
Artist concept for the Complex for the Disabled
Members
of the Association for the Disabled
Breaking
ground for the Rehab Center - Feb. 2003
St.
Paul Methodist team working hard on the Rehab Center
Project
Rehab
Center progress - Nov. 2003
Rehab
Center as of
Feb. 2004
Rehab Center dedication
ceremony - Feb. 2004
Building
first bathroom for the Complex for the Disabled
Bringing
water supply to the Complex for the Disabled
Water
supply reaches the Complex for the Disabled
"It
is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man
can sincerely
try to help another without helping himself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
