Poisoned Mountain Dwellers in Search of Help
What Liliana Peña Soncco from the province of Espinar tells me touches my heart. I listen to her account in my office, deeply moved. A local copper mine is poisoning the water and, with it, the livelihood of the Quechua people in the surrounding area. Medical examinations have confirmed that the local people are exposed to heavy metals. The streams are dead, and the future looks bleak. The government washes its hands of the matter, and the sick patients run from one hospital to the next, with no one taking them seriously.
“In 2023, our NGO brought seven affected people to the Diospi Suyana Hospital. It was the first time anyone had listened to the suffering of those affected and actively helped them!” Liliana Peña remains matter-of-fact, even though the situation is enough to drive one to despair. Economic interests take precedence; the local residents seem to have no rights.
“We’d like to come forward with 20 more patients!” — The staff member from the human rights group “Derechos Humanos sin Fronteras” is hoping for a positive response. I immediately call my wife, Martina, and we come up with a plan of action in no time.
We’ve been living in Peru for 23 years, and we could write a thick book about the corruption and cold-hearted selfishness in this country. And that’s exactly why Diospi Suyana exists in Curahuasi—a place of refuge for those whom no one else is willing to help. For those who have no lobby. And for people who doubt God, the world, and the value of their own lives. /KDJ
