Lutheran World Relief Program Improves the Lives of Dairy Farmers in Peru

BALTIMORE, Nov. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Gold Fields La Cima S.A.A. mining company, Lutheran World Relief will extend its work to fight poverty in rural Peru by helping dairy farmers improve product quality and increase production and income.

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Gold Fields has supported LWR's work with dairy farmers in the Hualgayoc region since 2009, helping improve the incomes of 430 rural households. With this new grant, LWR will continue work with its local partner, Centro Ecuménico de Promoción y Acción Social Norte (CEDEPAS Norte), and with dairy producers from 17 communities.

"Sixty percent of people in Hualgayoc live in poverty and have few options for production on the region's arid and fragile rural lands," explains Michael Watt, LWR's regional director for Latin America. "LWR made great gains in the first phase of our work to increase incomes. We look forward to continuing to create sustainable change by entering into a second phase and increasing the project's scope."

Over the next 33 months, LWR will help producers diversify their cheese product line, improve quality and increase sales to high-value markets by helping dairy farmers increase the production, sale and quality of dairy products.

LWR will also work with milk producers to improve herd management, including expanding local veterinary services, to increase herd growth and productivity. These efforts will be complemented by the creation of 35 small-business networks that will help dairy producer associations lower costs, increase negotiating power and access more lucrative markets.

LWR will also seek to expand citizen participation in the region by training 163 community leaders to participate in community development and by increasing their skills to participate in the public budgeting process. 

"Efficient and effective distribution of municipal funds is an important part of fighting poverty. LWR is committed not only to helping increase incomes in Hualgayoc but also to achieve smart municipal investments in basic services through community participation," Watt adds.

While this LWR project will directly reach 430 households, an estimated 2,500 people will benefit from it, including many women. LWR anticipates that half of participating dairy producers will be women, as will 45 percent of community leaders receiving training.

To learn more about Lutheran World Relief's work with dairy producers in Peru, visit programs.lwr.org.

WHO IS LWR? Lutheran World Relief, an international nonprofit organization, works to end poverty and injustice by empowering some of the world's most impoverished communities to help themselves. With partners in 35 countries, LWR seeks to promote sustainable development with justice and dignity by helping communities bring about change for healthy, safe and secure lives; engage in Fair Trade; promote peace and reconciliation; and respond to emergencies. LWR is headquartered in Baltimore, Md. and has worked in international development and relief since 1945. For more information, please visit lwr.org.

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Michael Watt - http://www.profnetconnect.com/michael_watt

SOURCE Lutheran World Relief