Care from Above and Care from Below. Urban Inequality and Community Collectivization of Care

Alegre Escorza M.J.; Velarde Herz F.A. · Urban Book Series (2025) · DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-94235-8_24

Resumen

This article explores and compares two strategies for the collectivization of care in urban peripheries, linking the overlap of socio-spatial inequalities, neighborhood organizing processes, and the coverage characteristics of each strategy. First, it examines the “Programa del Vaso de Leche” (Glass of Milk Program), created in 1983 as a municipal initiative aimed at distributing food, primarily dairy products, to children, the elderly, and pregnant women in vulnerable situations. Second, it addresses the “Ollas Comunes” (Common Pots), which emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as a food subsistence strategy from the most socio-economically vulnerable urban populations. This study is based on historical research complemented by interviews with former public officials, nutrition specialists, and community leaders from the AA.H.H. “El Mirador II,” located in Pamplona Alta, San Juan de Lurigancho district (Lima). Thus, the article characterizes “care from above” and “care from below,” highlighting the capacities and limitations of state action and spontaneous community initiatives to meet basic food needs in the peripheral neighborhoods of Metropolitan Lima. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú