‘My dog Princesa works, too’
A 73-year-old and his cocker spaniel find ‘life’ earning a living on Lima’s streets.
What's your money worth? A series from the front line of the cost-of-living crisis, where people who have been hit hard share their monthly expenses.
Name: Fernando del Águila
Age: 73
Occupation: Street vendor
Lives with: His partner Carmen (49), daughter Fabiola (34), son Emanuel (24), and the family’s four cocker spaniels.
Lives in: A three-bedroom apartment in Caja de Agua, a low-income neighbourhood in San Juan de Lurigancho, the most populous district in Peru’s capital city, Lima. The sector is home to more than a million residents living in low- and medium-income areas as well as several sprawling hillside slums.
Fernando’s monthly income: 900-1,200 soles ($241-$321). The median monthly income for an individual working in the formal economy in Metropolitan Lima is 1,700 soles ($455).
Total expenses for the month: The family of four splits essential monthly expenses, including groceries, gas, electricity and water, which amount to 2,255 soles ($604) per month. Fernando’s portion is 564 soles ($151).