Stories written by Andrea Vale

Breaking the Cycle of Child Labor in Peru

By Andrea Vale
Most laborers in Peru are forced into a vicious cycle by circumstance. Faced with low-paying, high-intensity work, they have no choice but to make their children work as well. Having spent their lives neglecting education for labor, those children in turn grow up with no options for income besides low-paying, high-intensity positions  - and so on. But in classrooms across one region, a handful of teachers are trying to break that cycle while the children are still young.

Peru’s Poor and Disabled Struggle in the Shadows

By Andrea Vale
Eighty percent of the world’s disabled live in developing nations, according to a report by the United Nations. Their identities, lives and stories are of course varied – but what isn’t is the stigma and lack of resources they face.

Searching for a Doctor at 3,000 Metres High

By Andrea Vale
Good healthcare can be hard to get – particularly when one lives on top of a mountain. The road to Porcón in the Cajamarca region of Peru, therefore, is as breathtaking as it is sobering. With every step further into its isolated natural beauty, a group of volunteers sent to deliver healthcare essentials are reminded how long the trek would be in an emergency.

“I’ll Tell You a Story” – Violence Against Women in Peru

By Andrea Vale
Domestic violence is alarmingly prevalent in Peru. Not only is it statistically more common than in other, more progressive cultures, but Peruvian women tend to accept it as simply a ‘part of marriage.’

Smiling Towards Development

By Andrea Vale
Previous indications of national prosperity have focused on income, poverty, health and, above all, Gross Domestic Product, but on March 20th, World Happiness Day commemorates what is perhaps becoming the new way to measure welfare: happiness.


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