Can we talk about the value of human life in monetary terms? The heart and my spirit told me that no, it is impossible. How could gauge the depth in human being with terms so limiting as the money? However, the reality of my country tells me otherwise.

Returned to the theme of injustice, this stubborn issue that eats my soul and seemed to devour my hope. The news you hear are chilling: Until now there are 140 children under five years, deaths due to cold in the highlands of the country during 2009 and the cold season does not end, but just beginning.

I wonder how we got to this situation? How we could fall so low? At what point we petrifies our hearts? Furthermore, at what point we are blurring the dignity and responsibility as citizens? What happened?

“Poor is the one that is trivial, which has no value in society and a person is and can be insignificant for economic reasons but also for speaking the wrong language for a country, skin color or a woman. This set is the one that really talks about poverty and subhuman. “(Gustavo Gutierrez: What does living in a poor country and how the University is located in this context? 2007)

Before, I couldn’t realized the pain of not being able to complain, feeling that no one hears you, nobody takes you into account, that you don’t have reasons to protect you, defend you nor lawyers, no witnesses with the courage to tell the truth or judges who get you justice. Felt in the soul, the profound helplessness of not being able to complain of not being able to express yourself, or talk or even shout and say what happened. But even more frustrating is not understanding what is happening. Feel confronted with an inexplicable experience. Why my children die of cold? How can a defenseless child dies for being poor? Who can explain me what is going on?

“Poor is the one that is trivial, which has no value in society.”

I will not talk about that here, it seems that some people are better than others. I will not mention that or even Punta Cana, nor La Molina*. Defenseless children die because they are poor and that an is embarrassing and painful reality.

The fact that there are people who are insignificant to the state is the cause of structural fund. But I think it is the responsibility of us all: Government, Civil Society, Media and Enterprise. But I must confess that I hurt much more the role of the press in this whole situation. Where is the complaint? Where is the research? Where is the awareness campaigns? If I say Lima live in a bubble, because it is not informed, they do not know what happens. And if you mention Lima, sadly it is because my country is centraliced in Lima.

“Poor is the one that is trivial, which has no value in society.”

@dmorena and @Catalina talk in Twitter and comment that this painful situation of deaths from the cold will not be solved simply by collecting clothing and basic necessities of food here in Lima to take them to the Sierra, as ther were doing as volunteers for many years. Their words invite me to reflect on that and I think that deaths of children are a painful symptom of something deeper, a structural problem of poverty, neglect, exclusion and marginalization. We can not remain in the dimension of the emergency …

There is a significant problem: poverty in Peru. And there is an emergency at the same time: People are dying of cold in the sadly named “Cordon del Olvido”, all the high Sierra and in urgent need of clothing and foodstuffs.

I wouldn’t like to stay just in the emergency. I want to go further, to reflect on poverty in Peru, on the exclusion, marginalization. For now I can only share the dissertation of Gustavo Gutierrez on What does living in a poor country and how the University is located in this context? (it is in spanish).