Introduction
The worst kind of suffering is the one where the sufferer knows that the solution to the same exists but is out of reach. One of the textbook examples of this kind of suffering is communicable diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), which has now had a viable solution for decades. Albeit TB is all but eliminated in many parts of the developed world through the proper use of curative and preventative measures, it remains a major problem in some parts of the developing world (Collyns, 2017) . A good example of such is the slum of San Juan de Lurigancho (SJL) situated in Lima, the capital city of Peru. This combination of slums and informal settlement has one of the greatest prevalence’s of TB in the Americas, mainly due to poverty. Yet the sufferers know that the disease that is ailing them has a definitive cure. The mission trip to Peru was, therefore, geared towards seeking to extenuate the suffering of the cross section of the inhabitants of SJL due to TB, even as we shared with the hope that comes with faith in a higher being; God.
Overview of the Mission Project’s Purpose
Among the worst possible evil under the sun is to endure the suffering of humans over a problem that can be solved through the efforts of fellow humans. The problem of TB can be solved and has been solved amongst wealthy populations. So rare is TB in this population that an incidence of the same will even make the news, even as its advent gets investigated. In SJL, however, TB in its ordinary and drug resistant trains is quite a common occurrence (Villegas et al, 2016) . The focus for the project was not geared towards the entire predicament but two fundamental elements thereof. The first element was avoidance of new infections, more so amongst children who live within the proximity of a TB sufferer. TB is highly contagious and can be contracted through the sharing of household items or some level of contact, more so when too many people live in a crumples place (Villegas et al, 2016) . With many households in the visited slum having as many as 8 individuals living in a singular slum, incidences of new infection, more so among children are quite high. The purpose of the mission was, therefore, seeking to provide preventative medication for children who are susceptible to TB. The second element was seeking to extenuate the rapid increase of drug resistant strains of TB. In a majority of cases, TB patients develop resistance due to commencing the stopping treatment regimens. There are many reasons why a TB patient will stop treatment, more so when they no longer feel unwell (Villegas et al, 2016) . One of them is lack of information to the effect that the end of active symptoms does not mean that a patient is healed. The second lies in the fact that TB medication is a strong antibiotic and can lead to physical weakness and discomfort when taken without proper nutrition. In this regard, the purpose of the mission trip, therefore, was seeking to partner with local organizations to help prevent the development of drug resistant strains. This is to be achieved through proviso of information and sensitization as well as the commencement of a long term project for provision of nutritional means for patients taking the TB treatment medication.
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Cultural and Social Aspects of the Country
SJL, just like Lima has one of the most demographically diverse populaces yet quite a singularized culture as the community has lived together for a very long time. The indigenous Red Indian community makes the minority of the populace followed by any absolute community segment of either blacks or whites. The overwhelming majority comprises of Mestizos which is a combination of European and Native Indian ancestry (City Population, 2017) . There is also a large section with a mixed African ancestry as well as Asian immigrants who have been in the area for over a century. Culture is almost integrated into one as aforesaid due to elongated integration with the dominant cultural theme being premised on the Catholic faith. There are also versions of the Catholic faith derived from combination with different traditional cultures.
The Project and the Judeo-Christian-Islamic Ideal to Love your Neighbor as Yourself
In all fairness, the modern concept of loving a neighbor as one loves the self is shrouded in hypocrisy. Giving a few days out of a lifetime, a little money, as well as a commitment toward advocacy and fundraising, is a far cry from loving the local SJL residents as we love ourselves as religious people. Being in the area and having a firsthand experience of the suffering masses was a major wake-up call towards living up to the creed of loving our neighbors. However, if the concept was to be taken literally, the little effort made, albeit quite effective remains a far cry from living to the concept of giving a neighbor love equal to the one given to the self.
Analysis of the Target Population
The entire population within SJL is approximately one million people, spread across a geographical area of 140 km 2 . This leads to an average population density of about 22,000 people per square mile (City Population, 2017) . It is worthy of notice that not everyone is poor in SJL and some areas have formal settlements with a lower population density. This means that among the poorest areas, the population density is exponentially higher than the average. It is common to see families of up to ten individuals of different ages residing in fifteen by twenty feet shack. The target for the project, however, are little children susceptible to TB and those running risk of developing drug resistant TB. About 187,000 children in SJL are less than ten years old with approximately 10% of them falling under the susceptible population (City Population, 2017) . This makes for about 18,700 hundred children that need to be placed on preventative medication. The efforts of the project, however, supplement the efforts already being made by other organizations. Those at risk of developing drug resistant TB from research and observation are about a thousand individuals. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of TB in Lima in general and SJL, in particular, is on the decline (Collyns, 2017) . In the next five years, therefore, the susceptibility and patient burdens will have reduced exponentially. The entire nation of Peru has a population of about 32 million inhabitants with a population density of about 57 people per square Kilometer (City Population, 2017) . With TB being a problem kindred to crowding, it is clearly mainly kindred to the focused region and a few other hotbeds but not a national problem.
Suitability of Peru for the Trip
A quarter of the entire population of Peru lives in Lima, the capital city of Peru. About three-quarters of this city population live in slums. The country is extremely divergent with a very long coastline along the Pacific Ocean , dry areas akin to semi-deserts and also high rainfall areas full of forests and thick vegetation. However, an overwhelming majority of citizens live in urban centers making urban problems an important area of focus for humanitarian assistance. Further, Peru has been a great and dominant nation several times in its history. Over three millennia ago, Peru was home to the Inca Empire that dominated the entire region. And just three centuries ago, the mighty Spanish Empire controlled most of Southern America from Lima, the area of focus for the discussed mission trip. There is, therefore, a great potential within Peru to rise again but the impoverished nation needs all the help it can get. The mission trip and its aftermath is but a cog in the very large wheel of international assistance being offered to jump start Peru back to greatness.
References
City Population. (2017, April 17). San Juan De Lurigancho District in Lima metropolitan area. Retrieved July 18, 2017, from https://www.citypopulation.de/php/peru-limametro.php?cid=150132
Collyns, D. (2017, January 10). What can this Peru slum teach the world about stopping the spread of TB? Retrieved July 18, 2017, from https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/10/peru-slum-teach-world-spread-tb
Villegas, L., Otero, L., Sterling, T. R., Huaman, M. A., Van der Stuyft, P., Gotuzzo, E., & Seas, C. (2016). Prevalence, risk factors, and treatment outcomes of isoniazid-and rifampicin-mono-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in Lima, Peru. PloS one , 11 (4), e0152933
