CRS History in Peru

Catholic Relief Services has been providing relief and development assistance in Peru since 1954. Working alongside local Church and nongovernmental organization partners, CRS helps Peruvians cope with emergencies and build the foundations needed to ultimately improve their overall quality of life.

CRS began work in Peru with the distribution of powered milk at the request of the papal nuncio. CRS' food program continued into the 1980s, responding to the impoverished condition of vulnerable groups throughout the country.  

In the 1960s and 1970s, CRS began supporting community-oriented projects, such as credit unions, health education projects and agricultural production programs, designed for a long-term impact on the lives of poor Peruvians. In the 1980s and 1990s, CRS continued support for agriculture, microfinance and health programs while initiating human rights and peacebuilding programs to respond to the needs of Peruvians during 20 years of internal conflict. 

Today, CRS supports projects designed to transform existing economic, political and social structures and to promote the common good and human dignity of those participating in our programs. In all our efforts, CRS, in active collaboration with local partner institutions, works to enhance opportunities and improve the quality of life of the most impoverished, rural and marginalized people in Peruvian society. Within the framework of Catholic social teaching, CRS projects strive to promote principles such as human dignity and solidarity.