A family in the Belém port area of Iquitos, Peru.
The Los Angeles Times reported on July 29 that many people in Latin America have fallen into poverty due to the impact of the epidemic. On the one hand, they must avoid contracting the new coronavirus, and on the other hand, their original livelihoods have been affected, and their lives now seem particularly difficult.
Two Routes for Two Families
When the COVID-19 epidemic began to ravage the jungle city of Iquitos in Peru, Marlon Asanga put his wife, two children and father infected with the virus into a canoe and led them upstream for three days, deep into the Amazon rainforest.
“People were getting sick everywhere and we were all scared,” Asanga recalled. He was a gondolier in Belém, a port area bustling with street stalls and houses propped up by many tall wooden slats. "In the forest, we can rely on nature's supplies. I know we will not starve."
35-year-old Marlon Asanga and his 4-year-old daughter Elma at their home in the Belem district of Iquitos, Peru. The Asanga family left Belém and lived in the rainforest for four months.
Felipe Solom Valles was heading in the opposite direction: He and his wife used to teach in a remote village, and news came over the radio that the epidemic was spreading and a nationwide lockdown was in place, which would take the young couple and their baby away from their families. The family of three slipped out on a banana boat and later hiked through the bush. escaped the stay-at-home order with his luggage.
After taking care of their families for more than a year, the two young people faced the difficult challenge of how to support their families. In this epidemic-ravaged country, copper mines are distributed along the mountains, and 1,500 miles of coastline are against the Pacific . Valles and his wife lost their jobs. Asanga is barely making ends meet.
Jobs are in demand and competition is fierce
The coronavirus pandemic has pushed millions of Latin Americans into poverty and reversed the region’s progress toward equality — a particularly brutal blow to young people facing a surge in unemployment and dwindling job opportunities.
"We have a lot of job demand now, but there is also fierce competition for jobs." Valles, 27, said: "It's a bit frustrating not to have a job. But at least I still have my family."
The poor are getting poorer, and the middle class in this area - the life goal that the younger generation aspires to - also has its own difficulties. Their savings were depleted. Now, from tropical outposts to Andean villages, to urban neighborhoods and shantytowns, a mood of despair grips people.
Houses are built on high wooden slats in Puerto Belem, Iquitos, Peru, where the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the lives of many young families.
Latin America and the Caribbean account for 8.4% of the world’s population, but account for nearly one-third of the world’s COVID-19 deaths. But young people in Latin America bear the consequences of the ongoing pandemic. They face a widening gap between rich and poor, as well as the unrest caused by violence, political unrest and social conflict. Their voices have swung from rebellion to resignation on issues ranging from how to navigate conglomerates to corruption to climate change.
Despite early quarantine measures to fight the epidemic, Peru has experienced the highest death rate from COVID-19 in the world, with about 600 deaths per 100,000 people, more than three times the rate in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University . Livelihoods have been destroyed across Latin America and the Caribbean, with 26 million people losing their jobs, while the collective economy shrank by 7.4% in 2020, the largest decline on record, according to the Inter-American Development Bank.
25-year-old Marilyn mourned with her 5-year-old daughter Dana and a companion in a cemetery on the outskirts of Iquitos, Peru. Her father passed away due to COVID-19.
Thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets since April as COVID-19 infection rates remain high. demands social and economic transformation . Many young people feel that current policies deny them employment opportunities and hope. The pandemic has forced many to abandon their studies and take jobs that pay only minimum wage.
"Why are we here? Because we have nothing to lose." Colombia 19-year-old engineering student Juliette Molillo said. He was one of hundreds who attended a protest rally in June. "What kind of job can we find after we finish college? We can only work in call centers or restaurants. With COVID-19, everything has become worse."
There are fewer tourists, and the income of vendors has plummeted.
"If there are no tourists, what will we eat?" asked 22-year-old Maribel Turo Cullo, her pain obvious. "Can we still make a living?"
She and her husband, Gustavo Yabo Pumakara, are among the many vendors hawking clothing handwoven from alpaca and wool on the streets of Cusco, Peru.
COVID-19 has killed tourism around the world and has had a profound economic impact around the world. Cusco has long been a popular destination for backpackers and a starting point for tours of Machu Picchu.
A woman sells fish at an open-air market in Hauta, Maranon, Peru.
The young couple's income has never been high. Now, their income has plummeted to close to zero.
When Gustavo served for two years, he met Maribel. He is sent to distant areas where he fights drug traffickers. He has since learned to knit bracelets and advertises the couple's handicrafts, including sweaters, hats and other items, on social media. Both doted on their 20-month-old son, Doreen Taylor.
"I don't want my son to sell things on the street like we do," Gustavo said. Maribel's pregnancy was difficult. She said she almost died. Then, the epidemic hit.
She and her young son took refuge at her parents' home in a village outside Cusco. The family grew corn and potatoes there. Maribel has 11 brothers and sisters. She learned to weave from her mother and participated in peddling with her. Her father made wool bags.
When she was a girl, Maribel recalled the haunting moments when there wasn't enough food at home.
"I would really like to have my own store, with my own works, handmade. Everything is of high quality." Maribel said, and she also expressed her desire to go back to school to study design.
After a busy day and only a meager income, this vision seems very far away.
As the sun set on the snow-capped peaks, the couple stuffed their unsold items into blankets and dragged them up the ancient stone streets. Their struggle was more terrifying than they imagined.
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