KOICA Provides Emergency Food Aid to Vulnerable Groups in Peru

Supporting 15,000 Vulnerable Groups Including Venezuelan Refugees and Single Mothers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) has begun emergency food support for vulnerable groups in the Lima area of Peru in collaboration with World Vision (hereinafter referred to as World Vision).

On the 22nd (local time), KOICA held a launch ceremony for the 'Community Kitchen' project in the Alto Progreso area of San Juan de Miraflores, Peru, together with the World Vision Peru branch and local residents. The Community Kitchen program is a volunteer-driven initiative where volunteers cook food directly in community kitchens within the village and distribute meals to residents.

The launch ceremony was attended by Lee Jung-wook, head of KOICA Peru office; Noaemi Gamonal, head of the World Vision USA branch; Kim Jung-won, head of the Korea World Vision branch; Emilia Drago, representative of the AA.HH regional community; and village volunteers.

Peru has surpassed 770,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with the death toll exceeding 30,000. Notably, there are about one million Venezuelan refugees in Peru who are currently appealing for urgent support due to job and food shortages caused by the COVID-19 crisis. However, the Peruvian government is fully focused on protecting its own citizens and lacks the capacity to provide support, making international assistance urgently needed.

In response, KOICA is implementing the 'Community Kitchen' program centered in San Juan de Miraflores. Starting from this event, meal distribution will be conducted five days a week for about 15,000 residents, including single mothers, Venezuelan refugees, and low-income groups in the area, over the next six weeks. Along with food distribution, the program will monitor their COVID-19 prevention compliance and provide masks and sanitation supplies.

Lee Jung-wook, head of KOICA Peru office, said, "We hope this support will become a seed of hope for overcoming COVID-19," adding, "Through this, we can strengthen solidarity and friendly cooperation between the two countries." In response, Noaemi, head of the World Vision Peru branch in the USA, expressed her commitment, saying, "We will do our best to ensure the success of this project with KOICA and provide practical help to many beneficiaries."