The Land and Its People
Peru is located on the central west coast of South America. It is the third largest country in South America—larger than France, Spain, and Germany combined. The country is divided into three, large geographical regions: the coast, the Andes, and the Amazon Jungle.
The coast is a narrow band of desert, measuring 110 miles at its widest point, bathed by the Pacific along 1,900 miles of cliffs and beaches. Its mainly flat terrain (with highest elevations at 2,133 feet) is dotted with nearly 50 oases, fertile river valleys formed by streams born high in the Andes and running into the ocean. Lima and other coastal cities are located in these valleys, where the country's greatest economic activities take place.
The Andes Mountains run north to south like a backbone through the territory of Peru. This range is the continental watershed, source of the rivers that flow either west to the Pacific Ocean or east to the Amazon River basin. Its steep, complex terrain is marked by narrow canyons, deep and fertile valleys, vast high plateaus, large navigable lakes, and over 12,000 smaller lakes. The altitude of the range is generally between 9,843 and 13,124 feet, with Mount Huascarán (22,206 feet) being the highest mountain in Peru and the second highest in the Americas.
The Peruvian jungle is a region of lush vegetation due to the heavy rainfall it receives throughout the year. It has a softly undulating landscape. Beginning on the eastern slopes of the Andes, it is covered in tropical vegetation extending all the way across the Amazon plain. It contains extraordinary natural wealth and is a land of forests and winding rivers that are sometimes the only means of communication between its people. All jungle rivers flow into the Amazon River, the world's longest and widest river with the greatest volume of water.
Peru has a population of some 24 million inhabitants, 7 million of whom live in Lima, the capital city. The coastal strip is home to around 52 percent of the population; the Andean highlands, 36 percent; and the Amazon jungle, 12 percent. The inhabitants are primarily of mestizo, or mixed race, although a significant indigenous minority inhabits the southern Andes and the Amazon. Nearly 70 percent of Peruvians live in urban areas.
Bible Translation Needs
In the Cusco Quechua region of Peru, Bibles are available, but they simply are not being used—the words on the page are meaningless. In some villages, literacy is terribly substandard—people can sound out words but have no comprehension of the meanings.
In Lima, the capital of Peru, the Linguistic Training Center is training young men and women from throughout Latin America in cross-cultural Scripture impact ministries. Bible translators and literacy workers labor here side by side, keeping this facility humming with activity. However, in recent years, overcrowded conditions have severely impeded the training programs for both literacy and translation.
Wycliffe Associates has an exceptional opportunity to promote literacy and Scripture use, enabling people to read the Bible and thus empowering the local church. We are helping to build a training center for literacy and Scripture use in Cusco, with the potential of reaching 1.5 million people who speak the Quechua language—but who cannot read their own Quechua Bible. Through this training center, Quechua leaders and pastors will learn to teach their own people to read and to use the Scriptures in their daily lives.
Are you interested in doing volunteer work overseas? Will you help promote the reading of Scripture in Peru through this extraordinary ministry opportunity? We invite you to give generously of your financial resources and of your time and abilities.
See more details about volunteering in Peru
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