Asunción Rengifo Marin

Asuncion Rengifo Marin is a 71 year old mother of four. Asuncion was born and raised in Tierra Blanca, a small farming community near Pucallpa, the regional capital of the tropical Amazonian department of Ucayali. Fifty years ago, Pucallpa itself was a tiny caserio or village, but everything changed when the only paved highway leading into the Amazon region was built and Pucallpa became the gateway to the jungle at the road’s end. Since the mid-20th century, the city has sprung up and engulfed the surrounding caserios, including Asuncion’s Tierra Blanca.

Asuncion makes a living selling food at night in front of her home which is now located in the city’s center where fifty years ago there was nothing but farms and the encroaching jungle border. Asuncion works from 4:00 pm till 11:00 pm every night selling juanes and yucca con paiche, traditional chicken and fish dishes of the Amazon Basin region.

Asuncion is requesting 2,800 Nuevo Soles to purchase chicken, rice, green bananas, bihao leaves (which are used to wrap the chicken and rice mixtures for the juanes dish).

Asuncion emphasizes that it is important to her that she keeps earning her own living selling food.

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