Photographer and storyteller

Women on the frontiers of hunger

[EN] A group of peruvian women is voluntarily in charge of addressing one of the biggest problems of the crisis due to covid-19: hunger in the most vulnerable sectors of the capital of Lima, in Peru. The women organized in “ollas comunes” -community-led soup kitchens- in informality without a specific record on their ranges or their storage capacity. These women have a greater responsibility. They should take care not only of their families but of others. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, latin women dedicate three times as much time on unpaid care work than men prior to the pandemic, an effort that almost always impacts people who are in poverty.​​​​​​​
[ES] Un grupo de mujeres peruanas se encarga voluntariamente de uno de los mayores problemas de la crisis ocasionada por el COVID-19: el hambre en los sectores más vulnerables de la ciudad de Lima, en Perú. Las mujeres se organizan en “ollas comunes”, un sistema que funciona en la informalidad, sin un registro específico sobre su alcance o su capacidad de almacenamiento. Aquí estas mujeres tienen una mayor responsabilidad. Deben cuidar no solo de sus familias sino de los demás. Según la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, las mujeres latinas dedican tres veces más tiempo al trabajo de cuidados no remunerado que los hombres antes de la pandemia, un esfuerzo que casi siempre impacta a las personas en situación de pobreza.

Yaneli Santos at the “olla común” Manos Solidarias in Lima, Peru. These community soup kitchens are a crisis response and they’re organized mostly by women. 

The places. The hillsides of Lima became the settlement of precarious housing, where many people lost their jobs due to COVID-19.

Daysi Esteban collects wooden boards to make a fire in the Casuarinas de Jicamarca human settlement, in San Juan de Lurigancho. Cooking with wood is the cheapest option, but it harms the health of women because of the polluting smoke.
Nourishment. Only 25% of the donations for the meals have been proteins, fruits and vegetables. The "ollas comunes" have fed between 100 and 200 people a day since the beginning of the crisis in Peru.
Nourishment. Only 25% of the donations for the meals have been proteins, fruits and vegetables. The "ollas comunes" have fed between 100 and 200 people a day since the beginning of the crisis in Peru.
The effort. The money they collect from neighbors for cooking is not enough to feed everyone. Every day, Silvia Ramos goes to the markets of San Juan de Lurigancho to ask for food donations for the "olla común".These protests were largely driven by young people typically apathetic to the country's traditional political discourse.
The effort. The money they collect from neighbors for cooking is not enough to feed everyone. Every day, Silvia Ramos goes to the markets of San Juan de Lurigancho to ask for food donations for the "olla común".These protests were largely driven by young people typically apathetic to the country's traditional political discourse.
Roseana Cáceres is on charge of an olla común in San Juan de Lurigancho. She must work all day to be able to study at night.
Roseana Cáceres is on charge of an olla común in San Juan de Lurigancho. She must work all day to be able to study at night.
Roseana's notebook with the names of neighbors who come to the olla común.
Roseana's notebook with the names of neighbors who come to the olla común.
More than a kitchen. The women participating in the "ollas comunes" must wake up very early to get their family ready for the day. Then their older children must look after the younger ones while the women organize lunch.

Lucía Farfán at the “olla común” in Manchay. She lost her job as a domestic worker during the pandemic, and now she spends her days cooking and taking care of her family.

The wait. Children and women collect food distributed by the "olla común" from monday to saturday.

Diana Mellado at her house after the work in the "olla común". Women are more concerned about not having a way to feed their children than getting sick from COVID-19. They may feel listless when there is no food, but they still continue.

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