Peru is one of the poorest countries in South America. The latest figures available from the United Nations Statistics Division state that 64.7% of its rural areas population lived below the national poverty line. Despite a return to democracy after years of military and autocratic regimes, Peru faces serious social and economic challenges. As a result, high numbers of Peruvians lack sufficient food, access to basic health services, and education.

The population is mostly Roman Catholic, despite a recent proliferation of small evangelical and protestant churches.

The Valley of Zaña

The valley of Zaña is located in the coastal region of Northern Peru, about 50 km south of Chiclayo, a city of 300,000 inhabitants situated 750 km north of Lima (Peru’ capital city). This region is a bleak land of large expanses of barren sand and a few rocky hills. The Zaña river, which originates in the Andes and empties into the Pacific, has created a valley peppered with small villages and plagued with deforestation and flooding when El Niño strikes every ten years or so.

The population is a mix of descendants of Chimús and Incas, Spanish colonials, African slaves, and Chinese migrants who came in large numbers in the 19^th century to work in the sugar cane haciendas after slavery was abolished. Unemployment is estimated at 60 to 70% in the valley. Most people practice subsistence agriculture.

The Andean Department of Cajamarca

Cajarmarca, situated in the highlands of the Andes, is one of Peru’s 24 administrative departments. It is a region of scenic landscapes and rich cultural heritage. The economy of Cajamarca is based mainly on foreign-operated mines. The rural highlanders are Indians called campesinos who practice subsistence agriculture on the mountain terraces. According to the national statistics institute, the Department of Cajamarca has one of the highest levels of extreme poverty in the country. More than one-quarter of the population is illiterate.