About: Facts
MEJORC was formed especially to serve the rural communities of Peru. In the past we have worked in the department of Cajamarca. We are beginning a new project in the department of Piura, for which we will have a Fact Sheet set up soon.
The population of the whole department of Cajamarca, Peru, is 1,359,023. Nearly 72% of the population lives in rural areas which are in more need of support and resources.
- The infant mortality rate in Cajamarca, Peru, in 1993 was 62.4%!
- More than half the children born in Cajamarca, Peru, in 1993 would not lived past infancy.
- In part this was due to the cholera epidemic, which was exacerbated by poor hygiene, nutrition, and water supply.
- Since then the government has stepped in and done various projects to lower these numbers; however, the nationwide infant mortality rate of children under one year old was still at 23% in 2005.
- Rural areas are much harder hit by these circumstances.
Simple hand washing and proper water preparation are the best ways to avoid cholera and other diarrhea producing ailments, which are among the top reasons of death in infants. However, these topics are often not taught in remote locations. MEJOR Communities includes hand-washing training in each project and includes proper water preparation in each hygiene training event. MEJOR Communities also puts extra focus on hygiene and nutrition with expecting mothers and mothers of young children to try to reduce infant mortality rate.
- 75.7% of the population in Cajamarca, Peru do not have electricity according to the latest census results released.
- Due to high percentages of communities without electricity, many students are unable to study in the evenings, accidents in the home are more prevalent, and the darkness in kitchens is especially debilitating for hygienic cooking, and can lead to burns. Plus, the low lighting contributes to poor eyesight.
Although MEJORC does not have the kinds of resources able to bring electricity to these communities, we do hope to bring more hygienic standards to homes, which may include improved lighting in the kitchen. This can be done either as helping health promoters formulate the paperwork necessary to solicit electricity from other organizations/government, or find resources to bring in clear tiles, which, when put in the roof, let in natural light.
- In 1993, 65.5% of first grade children in the department of Cajamarca had chronic malnutrition. Those numbers have not greatly diminished, especially in the rural communities.
Imagine more than half of 8 year-olds, in the important years of growth and development, sufering from malnutrition. The problem is rarely lack of food, but rather lack of knowledge about how and what to eat. MEJORC aims to provide information about food groups, food preparation, and how to locate all of the necessary foods they need without spending extra money.
For more information on what you can do, see How to Help.
*All statistics retrieved from http://desa.inei.gob.pe/mapas/bid/