Project | Community Kitchens in Lima Peru

RESEARCH FASE:

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Our findings indicate that the majority of community kitchens are unable to afford gas cylinders due to their limited resources and high cost, which leads them to rely on firewood for cooking.

Notably, women primarily manage most community kitchens, undertaking responsibilities such as developing weekly meal plans and procuring food supplies. Cooking resources are self-managed by inhabitants of the area, with occasional donations from churches or local markets. Moreover, most community kitchens receive little or no support from either the Peruvian government or local municipalities.

Consequently, they operate without appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, blenders, or stoves. The absence of refrigeration facilities severely limits food preservation and exposes them to the risks of COVID-19 transmission. Furthermore, community kitchens in Lima suffer from a lack of resources, support, and access to protective equipment like masks, surgical gloves, alcohol gel, or clean water for hand washing.

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INTERVIEW FASE:

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Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, in-person or online interviews with the mothers of the Peruvian Community Kitchens were not feasible since they lack internet accessibility. To overcome this challenge, we resorted to watching media interviews to gather relevant information and formulate appropriate questions.

There are approximately 1,300 Peruvian Community Kitchens that provide meals to around 130,000 families, exclusively in Lima. Typically, these kitchens are managed by mothers from different districts of the city, who procure ingredients through donations from relatively better-off families, markets, and occasionally non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or religious organizations, predominantly Catholic groups. However, these donations are often infrequent and insufficient to cater to the dietary requirements of the entire community. As a result, most meals prepared lack adequate nutrients and balance.

These conditions made them more vulnerable during the pandemic. Tarcy González, who heads the “La Holladita” Community Kitchen in Villa María del Triunfo, explains that many families have been affected economically by the pandemic, with unemployment being one of the primary reasons leading to extreme poverty. The lack of access to gas due to high costs is a significant challenge, leading them to rely on firewood for cooking. Roxana Soleto, a leader of the Committee 68 in the 3rd zone of Collique, Comas, added that many individuals lost their jobs due to their vulnerable status, leading to further financial distress in the community.

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INSIGHT:

There is food and social programs available to help, but difficulty to reach the people who need it

HOW MIGHT WE

How Might We implement a low cost and effective method of transportation?

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Most districts of Lima have community kitchens that are difficult to reach because of their lack of access and narrow spaces. We designed a pulley system that can transport supplies and drop it off in a specific point near the community kitchen. The pulley system will have 3 pulleys to provide balance to the box in which the supplies will be put in, and avoid damage during their transportation.

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The team:

Miluska Lindo

Hidemi Martinez,

Arisa Onchi