Villa El Salvador 2012

Villa El Salvador is another, bigger community on the outskirts of Lima, built on a mountainside by people moving to Lima in search of work and a better life. There are over four hundred thousand people living there, so it's huge, about the size of Edinburgh. It's goes up one side of the mountain from inland and then down the other side until it reaches the coast.

Flor works there on Friday nights with a group of forty kids so she decided it was about time I saw the place for myself. I don't think I've ever seen such poverty. It was a two bus journey from Villa Maria, over roads which don't really deserve the name. And of course the drivers drive flat out as is usual in Lima so that even conversation was difficult and at times impossible, what with all the noise and the bumps, causing us all to bounce up and down as if we were on a trampoline. Sometimes he slowed down for the bigger holes but mostly we hurtled along at breakneck speed, heading for world's end it seemed.

I don't think I've ever seen people living in such poor conditions. These shanty towns, are known as pueblos jóvenes, and I guess are like the favelas of Brazil. The people who live there mostly came from the countryside to escape the poverty there, to end up in these places. I'm trying not to use any derogatory or disrespectful language because the people I met seem to be coping cheerfully if not to say heroically with what life has handed to them. But it's not easy.

The houses are more like shacks, built of wood with corrugated tin roofs, some of the roofs held down by nothing more than a few bricks along the top. Many of them have no electricity or water. Though it is true that more and more are getting electricity and water provided by the state. But mostly the state seems to be non existent as far as El Salvador is concerned. But I'm sure nevertheless that someone is trying to help change things, but it will take huge investment and commitment, which seems lacking, even though Humala promised so much. Mind you he has only been there briefly and it sure ain't got to be like this in a couple of years.

Once we got off our second bus we had to walk over the top of the hill and some way down the other side. There was no road as such, just a dirt track and even the bus drivers of Lima wouldn't be able to take there buses down here. There are rows of houses along both sides, shacks of wood and tin, with no light. Later it was dusk and quite depressing to see these places with no light. It's no wonder they have so many kids, as there can't be much else to do once it gets dark, and the pope won't let them use condoms. So lets blame him for it all.

There are no provisions for the kids, not even a place where they can meet, in this part of El Salvador. Even Flor's work can't provide facilities. It's quite depressing really so how they keep on smiling and surviving is nothing short of a miracle. As we walk along we meet lots of folk who know Flor and want to talk to her. These are the parents of the kids she works with. She seems well known. She is nothing short of a star. A truly amazing woman and who will ever recognise her work. I hope she can keep going for years to come, but she's been having fairly serious health problems,  which are not resolved so far, after a year. Please keep going Flor. For all these kids sake and their families we need you.

You think you've seen it all but then you meet a couple of boys who take you to see the rubbish dump where so many of the kids work to help their families survive. They call themselves recyclers, which I suppose is what they are, as they collect, mostly plastic bottles, for recycling. Even the youngest ones can tell you the prices for all the stuff they collect and know what brings the best prices.

The boys took me down to show me the dump. Their football pitch is beside it. The dump is illegal of course and people from other parts of Lima bring their rubbish here to get rid of it. I assume this is because there is no rubbish collection in their own barrios and El Salvador is at the edge of the desert.

I've just realised this post is getting out of control, so will close it here and write some more later about the kids and where they meet Flor. etc