History & Context

We live and work in Pamplona Alta, a hillside neighborhood located on the southern outskirts of Lima. This vast community is resilient, despite its challenging history. In the 1980s, almost 200,000 people abandoned their homes in the rural provinces of Perú and flocked to Lima. These migrants, mostly indigenous farmers, fled to escape the brutal armed conflict between different terrorist groups, like the Shining Path and national security forces.

Often arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs, these internally displaced refugees crossed an invisible border of race, culture, and language within their own country. Lack of education and resources, as well as limited knowledge of Spanish, forced the majority of these rural indigenous campesinos to squat on the mountain-like dunes surrounding the center of Lima, including Pamplona Alta. They built their homes from whatever materials they could scavenge, like grass mats, sticks, and cardboard.

Today, Pamplona Alta continues to be a difficult place to live and is one of the poorest sectors in Lima. Challenges include lack of access to water and sanitation, inconsistent income, family violence, and addiction.