Peru is a country rich in resources and one of the best performing economies in Latin America according to the World Bank. Regardless of economic growth, Peru is a country that remains extremely divided between rich and poor. Although the main sources of wealth are located in the Andean region, its inhabitants are the ones who do not get to see much of these benefits.

Children grow up in a very uncertain scenario and are probably the more affected. Some have to work to help their parents make ends meet and others just spend the days around the places where their parents work because these cannot afford a nursery. In this way, their rights to safety, education and a happy childhood are jeopardised by a reality in which they must learn to be adults at a very young age.

In the city, towns and villages, children are wandering, begging, working or taking care of their parents businesses or homes; and they seem to know exactly what is happening. Their faces are not only marked by the extreme weather conditions at a high altitude but by the lack of an innocent smile.