Restore Health in Cerro de Pasco

Thanks to our decade-long pressure the central government of Peru has finally acted for the health of children in Cerro de Pasco.

47 doctors reached the highest city of the world and they spent 15 days in the city to monitor the situation of heavy metals pollution and heavy metals affectation. The brigade includes specialists in neurology, gynecology, lung specialists, pediatric doctors. They will be able to perform blood tests and general medical checks.

The doctors will focus their attention on the 36 communities where we have been able to obtain the health emergency situation declaration, and they will focus on lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium and other toxic metals.

This is a huge win for us, as it is since 2008 that we are asking medical assistance for people in Cerro de Pasco. It is also important to underline how this assistance has arrived just a few weeks after we brought a medical brigade to Cerro de Pasco.

Things start to move also at the altitude of Cerro de Pasco and we are expecting to see some very big results very early.

Meanwhile stay tuned for all our activities related with the #GivingTuesday!

In a very recent article the BBC was wondering if Cerro de Pasco is the most polluted city on earth.

In their videos the distinguished newspaper reported how most of the population in Cerro de Pasco is siffering from the pollution caused by the mine.

We do not know if it is the most polluted on earth as we did not visit all the cities on the planet, but we can ensure it is the most polluted among the ones where we have been.

We were in Cerro de Pasco in July with three doctors from Spain and Portugal to make a medical diagnosis of the situation of kids in the community of Paragsha. We will have the full results in a few months but the preliminary results are already shocking.

• Kids in Cerro de Pasco are by far smaller than the average and also smaller than Carhuamayo (which is a community at the same altitude and climate).
• The majority of the kids in Cerro de Pasco have neuro-muscular problems (like lost of sensibility at the top of the fingers). None in Carhuamayo.
• A lot of kids in Cerro de Pasco have depression (very linked to mercury). None in Carhuamayo.
• Almost all the kids in Cerro have bleeding nose. Only one in Carhuamayo (but then we discovered that this one was born in Cerro de Pasco and moved to Carhuamayo only one year ago)
• A vast majority of the kids in Cerro de Pasco have stomach problems. Only one in Carhuamayo (again the one born in Cerro de Pasco).
• Roughly 15-20 kids in Cerro de Pasco show clear symptoms of lead intoxication, zero in Carhuamayo. 
• Several mother have reported miscarriage in Cerro de Pasco. Only one in Carhuamayo (unfortunately this data is not very reliable as most of the women do not speak openly about this).

We will share the full results as soon as we have it but meanwhile please continue to support us. Even a small donation can be very important for the kids of Cerro de Pasco and their families.