The ‘Chopcca Nation’ is an ancient indigenous people located in the region of Huancavelica, Peru, made up by 10,000 people. They live divided into 15 isolated rural villages in the Andes Mountains, in very poor conditions, with altitudes that range from 3800 to 4300 meters above the sea level. Because of being an isolated territory mostly forgotten by the government, the greatest great part of the population doesn’t have access to basic needs such as decent roads or water and electricity at their homes.  According to UNICEF, Huancavelica is the poorest region of Peru, and 82% of the people live in situation of poverty.

The 'Chopccas' have been following their ancestors’ traditions like artisan agriculture, young marriage and numerous families. However, at the same time, it is hard for NGOs and local government to find a balance between the respect for some ways of life and the compliance with international human rights, as it happens with the child labor. Since the agriculture is the most important activity for the subsistence, children usually do some hard work because this is worth very much for the family. Also, the isolation of the communities many times makes more difficult the access to education for the kids. Thus, finding a balance between an unavoidable modernization and their traditions kept for thousands of years means a great challenge for this communities itself.

This part of the project was made in collaboration with the NGO Save The Children UK.