A Medical Centre for the children of the Amazon

Iquitos/Loreto – August falls within the dry season in this part of the Amazon. As river levels fall, calm waters, oxbow lakes and pools are left behind – ideal breeding grounds for Anopheles mosquitoes, the main carriers of malaria.
CiN project partner Marcelina Angulo told us about a wave of malaria that affected her Christian rainforest village in the Loreto region. Children were particularly vulnerable because, unlike adults, they have not yet developed partial immunity. They suffer from fever, stomach pain and vomiting. Some forms of malaria are so aggressive that only rapid treatment with medication can prevent serious consequences. Yet most rainforest villages are hours, sometimes even days, away from the nearest hospital.
Even when patients finally arrive, there is no guarantee that the medicines they need will be available.

A Dangerous Journey by River

Travelling through the rainforest’s maze of rivers brings additional risks. During the dry season, sandbanks and deadwood hidden beneath the murky water can make journeys dangerous.
Rising fuel prices also make access to medical care increasingly difficult. Fuel currently costs 30 soles per gallon (around €2 per litre). For Indigenous people who live mainly from fishing and bartering and have no regular income, filling a fuel tank for these long journeys is often simply unaffordable.

High Child Mortality

Some children do not survive the disease or the difficult journey to hospital. Others suffer from complications such as anaemia, brain damage and weakened immune systems. A UNICEF report published in 2019 put Loreto’s infant mortality rate for 2010–2015 at 29.5 deaths per 1,000 live births, the third-highest rate among Peru’s regions. By comparison, the figure in Austria during the same period was four per 1,000. Malaria contributes significantly to this situation. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Loreto accounts for 96 per cent of Peru’s malaria burden.

CiN and the Local Church Build a Medical Centre

CiN is currently raising funds to build a medical centre that will significantly improve healthcare for six Christian communities in the Loreto rainforest. The project is being developed with the support of the Bishop of the Apostolic Vicariate of Iquitos and local priests, some of whom have medical training and are helping to implement the project with great dedication. The medical centre will provide storage facilities for essential medicines, malaria rapid tests and first-aid kits. This will allow illnesses to be detected and treated earlier, reduce the need for long and dangerous journeys and provide lasting improvements to healthcare for local communities.