In Peru, a soccer field unites shantytown community

In Peru, a soccer field unites shantytown community

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Nueva Union doesn't have running water, a connection to the electrical grid or paved roads.

But the neighbourhood has something that makes life in a Peruvian shantytown more bearable: a soccer field.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Edgar Champi works at his carpentry.

Nueva Union residents, mostly migrants from poor Peruvian provinces, carved a flat clearing for playing soccer into the dusty hillside when they settled in Lima some 15 years ago.

"This was a hill. It wasn't like it was now. But with nothing but our determination, we started to dig. Why? To have something to distract us every Sunday," says 40-year-old Nueva Union resident Edgar Champi.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Players rest after playing soccer.

The grassless soccer field - like scores of similar makeshift pitches across the country - is a testament to Peru's love for the game as its team prepares to play in the World Cup for the first time since 1982.

"It's pure happiness!" 54-year-old grandmother Luisa Alcantara says about the national team. "When they score a goal, even the tables shake."

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Men play soccer.

World Cup fever has injected fresh enthusiasm into the games played on the pitch in Nueva Union, which overlooks the capital of some 10 million people.

Kicking up clouds of dust and shouting nicknames at one another - "Noodle!" "Babyface!" "Shorty!" - Champi and other men hustle to make goals while women sell chicha, a traditional drink made from purple corn, to the crowds that have gathered to watch.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
A resident of Nueva Union shantytown buys water from a tanker truck.

Like the Peruvian team, Nueva Union is an underdog - home to hard-working families struggling to build a better future for themselves with scant help from authorities.

Lacking access to basic public services, Nueva Union residents must pay a premium for water sold from privately-owned trucks, which often suspend deliveries when roads become too slippery to climb in the winter. Electricity comes courtesy of hook-ups to a nearby neighborhood, which also charges higher rates.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Children fix a soccer ball.

Victor Antonio Cordoba, 32, the chief sports organiser in the neighbourhood, says Nueva Union's soccer field keeps residents healthy and happy. The star players on Peru's team all come from low-income neighbourhoods, he points out.

"Who knows, maybe future talent will come from here," Cordoba says. "Without a field, we won't know."

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Martha Injusta (left) and Leydi Condor, residents of Nueva Union shantytown, play volleyball.

From Monday to Saturday, when most of the neighbourhood's men are working, women play soccer or volleyball on the field. "We let the men play on Sundays," Alcantara says with a laugh.

Martha Injusta, 49, a mother of two who cleans houses for a living, credits the space for helping her get in shape. "I used to be really plump," she says.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Leydi Condor washes her clothes outside her home.

The field is the closest thing to a town square in Nueva Union. It is where the community celebrates Carnival the traditional Andean way, by dancing around a gift-laden tree. It is a place to trade gossip with neighbors, and the designated safe spot to gather when an earthquake strikes.

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Stairs, used by Nueva Union shantytown residents to reach their homes

As darkness gathers and a game wraps up, a voice on a loudspeaker set up next to the field reminds residents to help build a new staircase to make the steep climb to their homes easier.

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A TV shows a friendly soccer game of Peru versus Saudi Arabia.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

A TV shows a friendly soccer game of Peru versus Saudi Arabia.

Claudia Herrera (right), Antonio Mendez (2nd right) and their family watch a friendly soccer match of Peru versus Saudi Arabia, at their home.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Claudia Herrera (right), Antonio Mendez (2nd right) and their family watch a friendly soccer match of Peru versus Saudi Arabia, at their home.

Saul Acevedo, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays soccer at a makeshift soccer field, dresses at his home before a soccer match.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Saul Acevedo, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays soccer at a makeshift soccer field, dresses at his home before a soccer match.

Antonio Mendez and Claudia Herrera, residents of Nueva Union shantytown, work at their store.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Antonio Mendez and Claudia Herrera, residents of Nueva Union shantytown, work at their store.

A street vendors sells at a market Paradero 4, located nearby Nueva Union shantytown.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

A street vendors sells at a market Paradero 4, located nearby Nueva Union shantytown.

People have lunch at a market Paradero 4.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

People have lunch at a market Paradero 4.

Residents of Nueva Union shantytown.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Residents of Nueva Union shantytown.

Wilber Soto, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays soccer at a makeshift soccer field, carries a part of a pre-made house next to her wife Rocio Rivas.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Wilber Soto, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays soccer at a makeshift soccer field, carries a part of a pre-made house next to her wife Rocio Rivas.

Rosario Salas (left), a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays volleyball, and her neighbour Hayde Vargas, build a bird cage.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Rosario Salas (left), a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays volleyball, and her neighbour Hayde Vargas, build a bird cage.

Cristel Acevedo plays with her dog.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Cristel Acevedo plays with her dog.

Sandra Saccaco, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays volleyball at a makeshift soccer field and her daughter Cristel Acevedo leave home to go to school.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Sandra Saccaco, a resident of Nueva Union shantytown who plays volleyball at a makeshift soccer field and her daughter Cristel Acevedo leave home to go to school.

Children walk to school near Nueva Union shantytown.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Children walk to school near Nueva Union shantytown.

Children walk to school.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Children walk to school.

Children play at a makeshift soccer field.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Children play at a makeshift soccer field.

Women and children tie a volleyball net to a goal post before a volleyball match at a makeshift soccer field.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Women and children tie a volleyball net to a goal post before a volleyball match at a makeshift soccer field.

Men play soccer at a makeshift soccer field.
. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo

Men play soccer at a makeshift soccer field.

There are other projects on the horizon: a retaining wall to protect against landslides, a community center for meetings, and cement and new nets for the soccer field.

"Of course we're going to improve it," 32-year-old mechanical technician Roger Loayza says about the soccer field. "This used to be a hill, but now we have something."

. Lima, PERU. Reuters/Mariana Bazo
Men play soccer at a makeshift soccer field.