Machu Picchu, Cusco, Sacred Valley Disaster Relief

It has long been suspected that Peru has been undercounting the number of positive cases and COVID deaths.  This is attributable in great part to the very poor healthcare infrastructure serving the very poor.  The government came out the week of May 31, 2021 to announce they were increasing the death toll from COVID by over 300%.  Peru has now registered 1,965,432 positive COVID-19 cases and a staggering 184,942 deaths. Peru’s per capita fatalities is now the highest in the world by a wide margin.  For the majority of Peruvians social distancing is not an option and the crowded living conditions, work places, streets and markets are a breeding ground for the virus to spread. Compounding the problem has been the scarcity of vaccines with less than 10% of the adult population receiving at least one shot.  Taken all together these realities have resulted in a humanitarian nightmare for Peru and other similar countries. 

Faced with this crisis, Peru has been unable to effectively prevent and care for the nation’s most vulnerable due to its low number of ICU beds per capita, history of low investment in healthcare, and a severe shortage of medical professionals.  ICU capacity is limited due to the number of beds but even more so by the small number of doctors and nurses who have this level of expertise. All of these issues raise the need to help build the healthcare infrastructure. To that end, VIDA made 24 shipments in 2020 and have already sent 14 shipments through May 2021. Shipments contains ICU hospital beds, stretchers, exam tables along with hundreds of walkers and thousands of crutches as well as thousands of boxes of medical supplies including PPE and respiratory equipment and supplies to combat the virus.   

A major cost in this project is the ocean freight from Oakland to Callao. GlobalGiving donors play an important role in making these shipments possible. We hope you can join us in our mission to bring aid to Peru’s most vulnerable communities. 

As of February 1, 2021, VIDA has reported 1,158,337 cases of and 41,538 deaths from COVID-19.  The introduction of a new variant has caused cases to spike again after two months of dramatic declines.   Although Peru has built out its ICU capacity, the healthcare system is bracing for another crisis as the spike in cases ultimately leads to a spike in hospitalizations and sadly deaths.

During the pandemic, VIDA has made over 25 containers and air lifts to Peru. In addition to the basic medical supplies and millions of dollars in medicine, VIDA has also shipped 150 ICU beds.  This is addition to the over 500 beds we have shipped over the past three years.  To illustrate just how important VIDA's work in Peru is to the health care system, Peru only has roughly 1,700 ICU beds for 35 million people.  VIDA accounts for roughly 25% of the ICU beds in Peru, a remarkable data point for one nonprofit.

Needless to say, we need to do more.  We are prepping three containers for shipment in February that will carry various medical supplies and equipment including 60 more beds.  Your support makes these shipments possible.

The people of Peru greatly appreciate you continued generosity in helping Peru through this crisis.

As of the date of this report, Peru has registered over 832,000 positive COVID-19 cases and nearly 33,000 deaths. Sadly these tragic statistics place Peru at the highest per capita cases and deaths in the world in spite of being recognized as the most responsive country in Latin America to the crisis due to its testing and lockdown. In spite of Peru’s increase in per capita GDP over the past 30 years, the fragility of that growth is being displayed among the 60% of the population that still works in the informal economy. Access to healthcare continues to lag many of its neighbors. For the majority of Peruvians social distancing is not an option. They must go out of their modest lodgings to earn enough money to pay for food and keep their home. As a result, the crowded streets and markets are a breeding ground for the virus to spread.

The COVID-19 crisis is hitting regions still reeling from the flood disasters particularly hard as the floods destroyed critical infrastructure. Sadly, plagued by extreme poverty and devastating natural disasters, these remote regions lack the resources to help them when they arrive back to their towns. In addition the travelers are often the source of new outbreaks in these remote regions. All of these issues raise the need to help build the healthcare infrastructure. To that end, VIDA has made 28 shipments carrying hundreds of hospital beds, stretchers, exam tables along with hundreds of walkers and thousands of crutches as well as thousands of boxes of medical supplies including PPE and respiratory equipment and supplies to combat the virus.

A major cost in this project is the ocean freight from Oakland to Callao. GlobalGiving donors play an important role in making these shipments possible. We hope you can join us in our mission to bring aid to Peru’s most vulnerable communities.

As of June 8, 2020 Peru has registered over 203,736 positive COVID-19 cases and 5,738 deaths. While Peru has been hailed as the most responsive country in Latin America to the crisis due to its testing and lockdown, sadly Peru’s per capita casualties and fatalities are among the highest. In spite of Peru’s increase in per capita GDP over the past 30 years, the fragility of that growth is being displayed among the 60% of the population that still works in the informal economy. For the majority of Peruvians social distancing is not an option. They must go out of their modest lodgings to earn enough money to pay for food and keep their home. As a result, the crowded streets and markets are a breeding ground for the virus to spread.The young single impoverished mothers are perhaps the most vulnerable. Most have lost their meager daily wages due to the lockdown. As a result, they and their children have no shelter and our facing hunger. The plight of these women is demonstrated by the 170,000 homeless now living on the streets in Lima and the mass exodus from Lima to rural areas. Peruvians are sleeping in the streets waiting for a solution. Many of the clusters are near airports and squares in makeshift shelters they lack the basic hygiene to prevent the virus. Also, crowding is frequent in the campsites, so it is hard to comply with social isolation measures.

Faced with this crisis, caravans of thousands of people are trekking on the highways carrying their little ones and all of their belongings trying to make it back to their remote towns of the Andes, Amazon and desert coast where they can find shelter and food. Sadly, plagued by extreme poverty and devastating natural disasters, these towns lack the resources to assist them when they arrive and the travelers are often the source of new outbreaks in these remote regions. All of these issues raise the need to help build the healthcare infrastructure. To that end, VIDA has shipped 8 containers carrying 200 plus ICU hospital beds, 50 plus stretchers, exam tables along with hundreds of walkers and thousands of crutches as well as thousands of boxes of medical supplies including PPE and respiratory equipment and supplies to combat the virus.

A major cost in this project is the ocean freight from Oakland to Callao. GlobalGiving donors play an important role in making these shipments possible. We hope you can join us in our mission to bring aid to Peru’s most vulnerable communities.

VIDA closed out 2019 with another great year.  VIDA made 24 shipments carrying over $22 million in aid. Many of these shipments represent a new partnership being led by Peru’s Ministry of Health who is spearheading an effort to upgrade and increase the number of beds available in Peru's hospital system. To that end, VIDA sent over 300 beds in 2019 along with 135 gurneys and 250 exam tables.  Of course, this is in addition to the hundreds of pallets of medical supplies and hospital equipment that VIDA sends every year to Peru.  2020 looks to be another strong year as we already have shipped 4 containers carrying 160 ICU hospital beds along with hundreds of walkers and crutches as well as hundred of boxes of medical supplies!  We are currently scheduling an additional 2 shipments to close out February..

A major cost in this project is the ocean freight from Oakland to Callao. GlobalGiving donors play an important role in making these shipments possible.  We look forward to building upon our great success in 2020.