Ayacucho is the birthplace of Peru's Maoist rebel movement known as Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). Between 1980 and 2000, violent clashes between the Shining Path and government counter-insurgency forces claimed approximately 70,000 lives. Today, Ayacucho remains one of Peru's poorest regions.
In 2003, I traveled to Ayacucho to work with indigenous communities affected by the conflict through the local non-governmental organization Paz y Esperanza. This work gave me an opportunity to observe and experience many of the ways in which the conflict devastated the region and relegated thousands of families to extreme poverty.
Mike Wooldridge of the BBC recently traveled to Ayacucho and spoke to impoverished community members. In this broadcast, he first asks about the socio-economic impact of the conflict and the challenges of raising a family on a dollar a day. He then learns about Peru's social programs that aim to alleviate poverty and the effects of Ayacucho's violent past.
BBC Documentaries --"A Dollar A Day"
Part One: Listen to the program (23:00)Poverty was a key issue in the recent elections in Kenya and the unrest that followed.
Part Two: Listen to the program (23:00)In Peru, women get one dollar a day for vaccinating and sending their children to school .
Part Three: Listen to the program (23:00)In India, more people are surviving into their old age, and many live in deep poverty.
