Cuna Más, the system of early childhood public nurseries in Peru, has a central problem: Thousands of women working in Cuna Más are considered volunteers, instead of receiving pay and benefits for taking care of the children in the program.
To date, there have been no published reports regarding the working conditions of the caregiving mothers in the National Cuna Más Program. This program and its mothers have only ever been considered newsworthy by the media when there have been incidents or accidents involving children at the nurseries. Salud con lupa has found relevant academic studies, published in 2017 and 2019, about this important program and its shortcomings regarding early-childhood care.
To develop this investigative feature, we collaborate with reporters in the regions of Piura and Madre de Dios to broaden the scope regarding the conditions for caregiving mothers within the National Cuna Más Program. We intend to travel to Cusco and Huancavelica, but we are planning to work with colleagues from other areas in Peru to cover regions where local knowledge would be invaluable.
The National Cuna Más Program restarted in-person activities this year, and the conditions for caregiving mothers have not improved.
