Uratari

— a photo essay that documents the building and opening of a new health clinic in the village of Uratari, high in Peruvian Andes.

Background

Uratari is a village of about 900 people in the Peruvian Andes, about a two hour drive from Cusco. It is a self sufficient farming community that speaks the ancient Incan language of Quechua, however the health of the population is extremely poor. Although the people there are not starving, many are malnourished due to the lack of variety in their diet which mostly consists of potatoes and corn. This results in a host of health issues, most alarmingly the statistics that 10-20% of mothers die during the birthing process, and one in ten children die before the age of five. Poor dental hygiene is also a major issue.

The Denan Project® is an organization based in the United States that raises money for some of the most underprivileged regions of the world. Throughout 2010 the project collaborated with Peruvian NGO Tengo un Sueño to build a health clinic in Uratari that would serve approximately 5,000 people in the greater area. The clinic will have a full time doctor, two nurses, a midwife and a dentist, and will provide medicines and services to the community for free.