As the lockdown continues throughout Peru, pressure mounts for remote families and low-income communities around the country. Tourism remains halted for the foreseeable future, and this important income for communities has been wiped out. A few travel organizations in Peru have stepped up to offer a helping hand.
Travel Companies and Tour Operators have come together this week in partnership with MEDLIFE, a non-profit organization, in order to make critical food deliveries to over 350 families in remote areas of Lima and Cusco. This is in addition to hundreds of families that have already received support.
Good Life Expeditions coordinated donations for 150 families in Lima and 100 in Cusco to get them a week's worth of supplies. In collaboration with their partner organization MEDLIFE, Good Life Expeditions purchased large quantities of food and coordinated with local municipalities and transport suppliers to get supplies in the hands of families to provide immediate relief.
On Thursday and Friday, Exodus Travels with their Ground Partner PEAK DMC made additional purchases to provide relief to over 100 families in the Sacred Valley, the majority of which are their Porter Suppliers for their Inca Trail Trekking Program.
Matt Kinch, Director of Operations at Good Life Expeditions added "Community Tourism is critical to the experiences Good Life Expeditions offers their clients and is a big part of our success. While these families are in lockdown, simple things like access to healthy food becomes more difficult, and venturing to the nearest towns and markets where sanitary measures are inadequate, heighten the risk of exposure. While these actions do not solve the problem, they do provide some immediate relief and we will continue to work together with our partner organization MEDLIFE to provide support.”
Travel Companies and Tour Operators looking to support local communities can reach out to Good Life Expeditions or MEDLIFE to provide support to any community in need. A simple donation of $30 USD will feed a family for one week. They can also support MEDLIFEs moving mountains campaign - a recurring monthly donation which will go towards tackling food insecurity and COVID-19 relief in the most vulnerable communities of Peru & Ecuador.