COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 22, 2023) – Food For The Poor (FFTP) is partnering with Caritas del Peru to help 152 rural farmers increase their revenues from selling milk from their livestock and other dairy products.
Herlinda is a dairy farmer who works with her family in Ayavi, Peru, high in the Andean mountains. She said her family’s dairy products will improve, thanks to generous FFTP donors.
The collaboration between FFTP and Caritas del Peru will continue what a local Peruvian company, Peru LNG, had initiated to help Herlinda’s family increase their income and grow their business to make cheeses.
FFTP is recognizing the rich culture and traditions of Peru as the charity marks National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15.
Herlinda said her family’s dream is to take their products to new markets where they can sell them at a better price.
Initially, Herlinda’s family faced challenges because they didn’t have a place and lacked equipment to make their products.
Because of the generosity of FFTP donors, Herlinda’s family and the other farmers have equipment that helps improve the quality and scale of dairy products while allowing them to take their products to local markets. To help her family’s business grow even more, this project is improving the processing plant, providing better pasture for their cattle and artificial insemination to increase livestock numbers and improving equipment, and business capacity.
“We are honored to partner with Caritas del Peru and to recognize the contributions of the Hispanic community to the social fabric of our country and beyond,” FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine said. “As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded of the vibrant and diverse culture that the Hispanic community brings to our society.”
Peru, like many countries in Latin America, has struggled with rising numbers of families living in multidimensional poverty due to the convergence of COVID-19, conflict, and climate change.
According to the World Bank, Peru was one of the countries most impacted by the pandemic. In 2020, the country contracted by 11 percent and extreme poverty increased to comparable levels in 2013.
In 2022, FFTP added Peru to the list of places it is focusing on in the Caribbean and Latin America, as the charity works to expand its mission to provide sustainable livelihoods for poverty-stricken families.
Rosa lives in Tambo, and her family also works as dairy farmers. She views the FFTP project with Caritas del Peru as a great support for them, and it has already helped her improve her dairy products. She dreams of having a large plant with the proper equipment to make cheese.
Her greatest challenge has been appropriate packaging and sanitary registration so she can take her products to the market and get a higher price. She hopes the project will help provide further training to improve their products.
“Our partnership with Caritas del Peru is extremely valuable as we work together to create long-lasting change for the farmers like Herlinda and Rosa in this area,” Raine said. “By working together, we can improve their incomes and their overall livelihoods, creating a more secure and prosperous future for these families.”
Caritas del Peru is a nonprofit founded in 1955. It has a network of 48 diocesan parishes and focuses on social development, nutrition and health, programs for people with disabilities and the elderly, education, economic development, disaster relief, and the environment.
Food For The Poor is celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month with a Facebook challenge and inviting everyone to join a special Facebook group where you can participate in fun and engaging posts about Hispanic culture. Additionally, there is the option to join in with fundraising for Latin American children. Join the challenge by clicking: facebook.com/groups/878738036917877/
Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the nation, does much more than feed millions of hungry children and families living in poverty primarily in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, water, medicine, educational materials, homes, support for vulnerable children, care for the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance. For more information, please visit FoodForThePoor.org.
