Monday, July 13, 2009
CHILDREN DYING OF COLD AND MALNUTRITION
Help is urgently needed for children dying of hypothermia and malnutrition in Puno, one of Peru’s poorest regions.We carried clothing and blankets to Juliaca, but MUCH MORE HELP IS URGENTLY NEEDED (See below for DONATION DETAILS)
San Mateo School in Lima gathered the gifts especially for the suffering children. It has been handed over to Santa Maria Magdalena Anglican Church, Juliaca, to be distributed immediately to children in the area.
The BBC published an article on Sunday 12th July about children dying in Peru's very harsh winter. The article can be found at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8146995.stm. It states that about 250 children under the age of five have already died in the harsh conditions, and the winter is not halfway through yet.
The region of Puno is one of the poorest in South America. Many children live in primitive conditions and often are malnourished, which makes them all the more vulnerable to hypothermia. Prolonged exposure to the cold causes respiratory infections like pneumonia. At the same time there is a lack of healthcare and basic services.
I can testify to the severe conditions and have rarely experienced such cold ever in my life. I was properly fed and dressed, but still have come back with my hands and legs red raw and chapped... and I saw children with sandals and T-shirts. At about 3.30pm each day the sun begins to lose its warmth and a terrible cold sets in. The freezing temperatures have been accompanied by torrential rain, snow, hail, and strong winds, and although the winter is only halfway through it has killed more children than usually die in any one year.
In our Juliaca church is a social worker who works in the outlying villages where the suffering is at its worst. She is taking our clergy there to see how most effectively to distribute the help to the most needy children.
The government has declared a state of emergency and clothing, blankets and food are being collected in tents specially set up in cities throughout the country.
SEND DONATIONS TO "PERU’S CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY"
In the USA to
Christ Church, Plano,
or
The Diocese of Florida
In the UK to
The Diocese of Worcester
