Photo slideshow: La Oroya, Peru: The women who wouldn’t keep silent
April 11th, 2012 | by Anna Kramer
Elizabeth Rojas, health and nutrition program coordinator for the community organization El Mantaro Revive. "“We are concerned about children’s health in La Oroya. Many have just started to recover from high levels of lead in their blood, and what happens now will be critical for them. Always, the most vulnerable population is the poorest.” Photo: Percy Ramirez/Oxfam America
Women like Elizabeth Rojas, above, are at the heart of an effort to defend public health and the environment in La Oroya, Peru, a city that’s been called one of the most polluted places on earth. While legislators and CEOs debate whether or not to reopen the Doe Run Peru lead smelter in La Oroya, these women continue their efforts to protect the community—even when it means putting their own safety at risk. Add your support by signing the petition at http://bit.ly/HEVNZQ.
Hear more from La Oroya’s women leaders on Flickr, and help raise awareness by watching and sharing the bilingual slideshow below. (Expand the slideshow and select “show info,” upper right, to read their testimonials in English and Spanish.)
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Anna Kramer
Anna Kramer is a writer at Oxfam America. Based in Boston, she covers a wide range of issues for Oxfam both digitally and in print. Find her on Twitter at @annakramer.
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[...] week. An alternative strongly opposed by the community, environmentalist groups and NGOs, such as Oxfam America, which said re-opening the smelter would place La Oroya’s children at high [...]
[...] que se le opone totalmente la comunidad, los grupos medio ambientales y las ONG, como por ejemplo Oxfam América, que dijo que reabrir la fundidora pondría a los niños de La Oroya en un gran [...]
[...] week. An alternative strongly opposed by the community, environmentalist groups and NGOs, such as Oxfam America, which said re-opening the smelter would place La Oroya’s children at high [...]
[...] week. An alternative strongly opposed by the community, environmentalist groups and NGOs, such as Oxfam America, which said re-opening the smelter would place La Oroya’s children at high [...]
There is a mistake in the auonmt that Doe Run has spent on pollution mitigation, this auonmt is not US$ 30 million, actually it is more than US$ 300 millions and it will be more than US$ 500 million when all The PAMA projects will conclude.