WHY DEVELOPMENT

Of the 27 million people living in Peru, more than half of the population lives in poverty, and approximately ¼ survives on just $1.00 a day. Many have migrated from rural and Andean regions in search of economic opportunities, leading to rapid population growth in Peru’s cities. This mass migration and the resulting overpopulation has lead to the creation of urban slums outside of larger cities like Lima. These Pueblos Jovenes, or “young towns”, have expanded rapidly into tracts of land that lack basic services such as waste management, electricity, and access to running water.

OUR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

HOW WE HELP

Because we value the importance of sustainability, we listen to the communities needs by attending community meetings. Therefore, we carry out the needs requested by the communities in Lima, Peru. Volunteers and local professionals develop plans for projects such a staircases among others and execute them, allowing MEDLIFE to offer high-quality projects for communities throughout all of our service learning trips. Working hand in hand with the community, we aim to help communities break the cycle of poverty they are currently in.

OUR LOCAL WORK

The UC Berkeley MEDLIFE chapter participates in local development in many ways, through partnerships with other non-profit organizations in the bay area. 

  • Save the Bay: Save the Bay protect and restore San Francisco Bay for people and wildlife, uniting the Bay Area to create a clean and healthy Bay. 
  • The Berkeley Project: The Berkeley Project aims to permanently change the relationship between the students and residents of Berkeley through hands-on community service.