Livelihoods have been destroyed across Latin America, 26 million people have lost their jobs, and the collective economy shrank by 7.4% in 2020, the largest decline on record.

Latin America, whose population accounts for only 8.4% of the world's total, accounts for nearly one-third of the world's COVID-19 deaths. Livelihoods have been destroyed across Latin America, 26 million people have lost their jobs, and the collective economy shrank by 7.4% in 2020, the largest decline on record. Under the epidemic, young people in Latin America have to bear the negative consequences of the epidemic: the widening gap between rich and poor, as well as the unrest caused by violence, political unrest and social conflicts.

How has the epidemic in Latin America affected people? In Peru, the media reported on two families who were uprooted from their homes. Their boats, carrying their families and hopes, slowly moved forward in two different directions. After working independently for more than a year, one family was still able to make ends meet, while the other family had to find a way forward amid unemployment.

There are many families similar to them throughout Latin America.

△25-year-old Marilyn, her 5-year-old daughter Dana and a companion mourned in a cemetery on the outskirts of Iquitos, Peru. Her father died due to new crown .

Taking a canoe with his family to live in the rainforest

When the COVID-19 epidemic began to ravage the jungle city of Iquitos, Peru, 35-year-old Marlon Asanga put his wife, two children and father infected with the virus on a canoe and took them upstream for three days, deep into the Amazon rainforest.

"People were getting sick everywhere and we were all scared," Asanga recalled. He is a gondolier in Belém, a port area bustling with street stalls and houses built on high wooden bridges. "In the forest, we can rely on nature's supplies. I know we will not starve."

In this way, Asanga's family lived in the rainforest for four months.

Felipe Solom Valles headed in the opposite direction. He and his wife used to teach in a remote village. One day, news came over the radio that the epidemic was spreading and a nationwide lockdown was in place. The young couple and their baby might be away from their families as a result. The family of three escaped the stay-at-home order by sneaking out on a banana boat and later hiking through the bush, dragging their luggage.

After more than a year of taking care of their families, the two young people faced the difficult challenge of supporting their families. In this epidemic-ravaged country, copper mines are distributed along the mountain ranges, and 1,500 miles of coastline are backed by the Pacific . Valles and his wife are unemployed, and Asanga is barely making ends meet.

△35-year-old Marlon Asanga and his 4-year-old daughter Elma at home in the Belem district of Iquitos, Peru. The Asanga family left Belém and lived in the rainforest for four months.

Jobs are plentiful, but 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.

The "Los Angeles Times" reported on July 29 that Latin America's population only accounts for 8.4% of the world's total population, but its COVID-19 deaths account for nearly one-third of the global total. Young people in Latin America will bear the consequences of the continued epidemic. They face a widening gap between rich and poor.

Despite early quarantine measures to fight the epidemic, Peru has experienced the highest death rate from COVID-19 in the world. According to data from Johns Hopkins University, approximately 600 people per 100,000 people have died from COVID-19, a rate more than three times that of the United States.Livelihoods across Latin America have been destroyed, 26 million people have lost their jobs, and the collective economy shrank by 7.4% in 2020, the largest decline on record, according to the Inter-American Development Bank .

With COVID-19 infection rates remaining high, thousands of Colombians have taken to the streets since April to demand 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. The new crown has made everything worse."

Fewer tourists, vendors' income has plummeted

"If there are no tourists, how will we eat?" asked 22-year-old Maribel Turo Cullo, her pain obvious. "Can we still make a living?"

She and her husband, Gustavo Yappo Pumacala, 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 to Machu Picchu. The young couple's income had never been high. Now, their income has plummeted to close to zero.

Gustavo met Maribel in his second year of service. He was sent to a remote area to fight 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 loved their 20-month-old son Doreen Taylor deeply.

"I don't want my son to sell things on the street like us," Gustavo said.

Maribel's pregnancy was difficult and she said she almost died. Then the pandemic hit, and she and her young son took refuge at her parents' home in a village outside Cusco, where the family grew corn and potatoes. Maribel has 11 brothers and sisters. They learned to weave from their mother and traveled with her to sell products everywhere. Their father made wool bags.

Maribel recalled how when she was a little girl, her family sometimes lacked enough food.

"I would really like to have my own store, with my own works, handmade, and 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, in such a life, Maribel's 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 harder than they imagined.

Xiaoxiang Morning News correspondent can set up