Mila Diaz Solono, Rafael Goto Silva, Antonios Kireopoulos, Pedro Ricards Barreto Jimeno, Lynne West of CWS, and Elias Szczytnicki at a meeting with religious leaders at the National Council of Churches office in New York City. Photo: J. Hanisek/PCUSA

May 26, 2008

In La Oroya, a city located 175 km from Lima, Peru, indigenous people are suffering from foundry emissions by the U.S. company Doe Run.

According to a study conducted by the Peruvian Ministry of Health, 99.1% of children in La Oroya have, on average, three times the amount of lead in their blood than the acceptable level set by the World Health Organization.

Additionally, the Blacksmith Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to mitigating the effects of pollution in the developing world, named La Oroya as one of the “World's Worst Polluted Places” in 2007.

Elias Szczytnicki, regional coordinator for the Latin America and Caribbean chapter of CWS partner World Religions for Peace, said, “The foundry is responsible for serious pollution of lead, sulfur dioxide and other heavy metals that emit daily into the environment”. Szczytnicki also stressed that controlling water contamination in La Oroya is a top priority as, “illnesses transmitted by water are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Peru.”

Since 2004, CWS has undertaken several efforts to bring about justice in La Oroya, including, creating educational resources, conducting advocacy trainings, domestically and in Peru, and lobbying the U.S. Congress.

Regarding advocacy for the people of La Oroya, Rajyashri Waghray, CWS Director of Education and Advocacy, commented, “Through the ‘Water for All’ campaign, CWS links global and local partnerships to enable access and provision of potable water, emphasizing community-based projects and community participation in national water and sanitation policies. The campaign also carries and amplifies a collective ecumenical voice in global public debate, while building grassroots support for action in the U.S. Congress to make water accessible for all worldwide. This is a change from working on water issues at the community level alone.”

CWS continues to work for a clean and healthy environment for the people of La Oroya.

Please click here to read more about CWS work on indigenous issues.