The measures against the Corona pandemic have also led to a virtual standstill of economic life in Peru. Martin Blum, a long-time employee of Basler Mission and Mission 21 in Peru, sees this with concern.
The government is providing generous food aid to a large part of the population. But many people are now unemployed and it is to be feared that the poverty rate will increase again. This is particularly regrettable, he said, because in recent decades the government has succeeded in reducing poverty from 50 to 20 percent.
Trust in the Andean people
However, Martin Blum is confident that the resilience of the Andean population is so great that they will manage to get up again after this difficult time. Solidarity is an important characteristic of the population.
This is now particularly noticeable in the interreligious field, emphasizes Martin Blum. In mid-May, an interreligious intercession was held in Peru's capital Lima, where churches and religions were united. This, says Martin Blum, is an important sign of solidarity also with the suffering families and for the common good.
â–º Read report by Martin Blum