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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
July 12, 2005
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| site design imagesparkle.com |
| April 18, 2005 |
Building a Sustainable Society: The Success Story of Villa El Salvador – Miguel Azcueta |
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| Mr. Miguel Azcueta (photo by Jeff Kennel) |
Miguel Azcueta, the first mayor of Villa El Salvador, Peru, joined Peace Boat before its arrival in Peru as a guest educator and navigator for the third unit of the onboard Global University programme. During his time onboard, he shared with participants the story of this remarkable city and the people who built it. |
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| In 1971, the land that is now Villa El Salvador was barren desert. |
In the 1960’s, people in the rural areas of Peru began to leave their ancestral homes for Lima, Peru’s capital. There were many reasons for this: unemployment, violence, natural disasters, more opportunities for education, or simply the desire to progress. In 1970 the greatest earthquake in modern Peruvian history struck the Andes, killing 70,000 people almost instantly and displacing thousands more. Rather than rebuild, many of the survivors of this disaster chose to travel to Lima to begin new lives in a city they believed was full of hope and promise.
With the influx of so many families to Lima, the municipality found itself at a loss. The city was already at capacity and had no place for so many newcomers to live. Thus, in May of 1971, Villa El Salvador was established as a place for these new families to make their homes. At that time, this area 20 kilometers south of the historical center of Lima was nothing but a desert. There were no roads, no buildings, no utilities, and, most importantly, few natural sources of water. However, at the peak of immigration, 90,000 people arrived in only one month. The government, economically unprepared to support such large numbers of people, was unable to provide an infrastructure for the area. If the people of the area were to have water, food, and shelter, they would have to provide it for themselves. |
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| The family is the nucleus of Villa El Salvador’s community. |
From the very beginning, residents understood that efficient organization would make the difference between success and failure in such harsh circumstances. Each family was given a plot of land free of charge that they were able to use as their residence, and groups of twenty-four lots were arranged into blocks, the most basic organization of the community. Sixteen blocks comprise a neighborhood, and all of the neighborhoods together form Villa El Salvador.
“It started with the family as the nucleus of the community ... we organized ourselves as neighbors and then started a community organization together.” Mr. Azcueta told attendees at a lecture on the history of Villa El Salvador. “The first level is representatives, or directors, of each block. The second level is the neighborhood communal organization. The third level is all of the neighborhoods put together … The special thing about Villa El Salvador is that the development plan itself was organized so that there are committees for each of the utilities. There was no light and water, so a committee was formed for light and for water. Another committee was formed for everything related to production and work, for education, culture, and everything that’s needed in a community. All together, they form the self-development group working to develop their own community. So, you can easily imagine that there are thousands of people together forming the basis of the community.” |
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| Residents take responsibility for the development of their community, and most families build their homes with their own hands. |
This model proved to be extremely successful. While water was initially provided to residents by truck, water service was established in only four years. Residents of the area performed all the labor necessary to bring fresh water to their city, including digging trenches and laying pipes. Residents also built the school buildings, developed green areas, established sewer and electric service, and developed an extremely successful industrial area. “The labor we did ourselves. There has been very little help from the federal government of Peru…” Mr. Azcueta explained. “In Villa El Salvador, we have always used the pedagogy of success, of achieving objectives to accomplish things. People feel proud of their own work; that is the principal thing. People want to achieve new goals.”
Today, Villa El Salvador is home to 400,000 residents and is one of the fastest growing areas around Lima. Its industrial park is home to more than 10,000 small and medium-sized business, the vast majority of which are businesses owned by families in the area. Furniture made in Villa El Salvador accounts for 40% of the market in Lima, and is shipped internationally. There is no significant gap between the rich and poor of Villa El Salvador and 70% of its residents are able to hold jobs within the city limits, rather than being forced to commute to Lima to earn a living. Villa El Salvador’s success has also received international recognition. In 1987, the city was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for its achievements. |
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| Planting trees in areas unsuitable for residences is one way the municipality is trying to discourage improper occupation of land. |
Having achieved such success, however, Villa El Salvador is now faced with another problem. “The territory of the municipality is practically full,” Mr. Azcueta said. “Because of that, we cannot allow more families. But more families are arriving ... (and) the new families are occupying land that isn’t meant for housing. So, we have a problem. And the worst part about it is that it disrupts the planning we have maintained for so many years.”
Despite this problem, Mr. Azcueta is hopeful about the future of Villa El Salvador. “What we want is for all of us to live with dignity, in Villa El Salvador, Peru, and the world. We want to improve education; we want to improve public services; we want to utilize new technologies and keep just relations in the community and other levels. We have the responsibility to develop new leaders in our young people. Perhaps the most important part of the story of VES is that it keeps going on with new things. We keep giving ourselves new goals, that’s what we want to do.”
For more information on Villa El Salvador, please see the following link (Spanish only): – http://www.munives.gob.pe/index2.htm |
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