Meet Silenciario

About 20 years ago, Silenciario was forced to leave his birthplace of Ayacucho and find safer place along the coast of Peru. In the 1980’s, Peru was facing a bloody war against the Shining Path, a communist guerrilla which fought under the Marxism philosophy. The Shining Path made Ayacucho the heart of its ideology and the pivot for its expansion in Peru.
Silenciario comes from a farming family that lived in the Ayacuho countryside. There was a constant struggle with the Shining Path guerrilla and after years of “domination” the farmers decided to get together to join the Ronderos. The Ronderos were a type of paramilitary group where farmers became part of their own military to fight back the Shiny Path’s menace. Although Ronderos were quite successful many of them died in combat. Silenciario’s father died while fighting as a Ronder, thereafter he decided to flee Ayacucho. He moved to Pisco.

Silenciario lives in a shanty house made of straw, therefore his house did not as a result of the earthquake. However, due to the small tsunami that the earthquake created, his fishing boat was significantly damaged. Silenciario’s fishing boat is a vital part of his income as he naturally cultivates shellfish in his “spare” time. We thought it would be a good idea to help him repair his boat with the Earthquake relief funds, as fishing is part of his livelihood.

The cost to repair the boat was 700 soles ($233) (he did receive an estimate of 1,000 soles, but we told him it was too much).