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Direct Relief's Activities in Peru

Peru is located in western South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean between Chile and Ecuador. More than one-third of its population of 29.2 million lives on less than US $2 per day. Thirty-seven percent of Peruvians lack sustainable access to safe sanitation, while 17 percent lack sustainable access to safe water supplies. ¹ Key public health problems include heart disease, cancer, and digestive diseases, including cirrhosis of the liver. ²

Direct Relief has provided nearly $20 million (wholesale) in medical material assistance to Peru since 2000, focusing on general medical supplies and equipment.

Direct Relief’s major partners in Peru include the Ayacucho Regional Hospital and the Archdiocese of Lima (Arzobispado de Lima). Ayacucho Regional Hospital is the largest public facility in the Southern Peruvian state of Ayacucho, a mountainous area housing many of the poorest people in Peru. The Archdiocese of Lima operates two clinics located within the poorest sections of Lima and one located on a barren plain just outside the city. They also operate a small pharmacy that provides medicines to those who cannot afford to purchase them. In cooperation with the Peruvian Ministry of Health, the Archdiocese provides all the professional staff and administrative support for each of these projects.

Featured Work

Better Health for Rural Peruvians
With more than $20 million in aid Direct Relief has donated to Ayacucho Regional Public Hospital, a 240-bed facility now has one of the best neonatal intensive care units in Peru, and has reduced the mortality rate for premature babies from 57 per 1,000 to 7 per 1,000 births.  More »

Peru Earthquake: Swift, Appropriate Response
Working hand-in-hand with longtime partners the Catholic Archdiocese of Lima and Los Angeles-based Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS), Direct Relief immediately mobilized aid to the affected areas.  More »

Direct Relief's Partners in Peru