The past months have surely been among the most challenging times in the history of FairMail as a social enterprise, but most of all as a family.
Despite one of the earliest and strictest lockdowns in Latin America, the deep inequality of Peru’s health system, high levels of informal economic activity, and corruption have contributed to a massive loss of life and a severe economic crisis that will have repercussions for years ahead.
Daily reported cases fell in June and July to rise again in August to a point that a second lockdown was issued on August 29.
To comply with the restrictions imposed by the government FairMail stopped its activities for about 5 months and re-opened its doors in July and August. During the lockdown we maintained constant contact with the photographers and their families, and thanks to the generosity of many of you, we offered our support in the form of recurring donations of food and money throughout the quarantine.
Several family members of the photographers have contracted the virus and one of them has unfortunately passed away.
Going back to classes in the months of July and August required a complete readjustment in the way we carry out our photography sessions. The photographers were split into 3 small groups to limit exposure during classes, they came to the office with private cars instead of public transport, they always wore face masks and they disinfected every working station and object after use.
Despite the restrictions, the photographers have shown a great deal of enthusiasm, motivation and creativity and the result is an astounding collection of Christmas pictures that you can see here.
None of this would have been possible without the amazing work of our two local managers Angeles and Anidela, their great organizational and communication skills made it possible for FairMail to go through this harsh time.
Now we are back, and we really want to make up for all the time we have lost. We’re ready to create new memories and new fantastic pictures!
as is around the corner and this year we decided to give a little twist to our Amigo Secreto (Secret Santa) gift-exchange tradition. Although in FairMail we have always tried to avoid the trap of consumerism, we realize that excessive consumption has a momentous impact on our planet, and to put it simply, we don’t like that. Way too often we end up spending money to buy things that we don’t need just because at Christmas you are kind of supposed to. For these and many other reasons, we decided to further simplify our Christmas by inspiring the teenagers with the ethical hierarchy of gift exchange. 
Gifts can surely come in many forms, including the non-physical. Giving your time, sharing your skills, creating memories bring more value to both the giver and the receiver. By shifting the focus from material gifts to shared experiences we hope to see the teenagers bond and have a more meaningful Christmas.
track of their progress. This is the story of Gabriel, undoubtedly one FairMail’s most talented photographers. He was 14 years old when he joined FairMail, living in a local boy home. Last December Gabriel turned 19 and therefore left FairMail. What is he up to know? Let’s find out!
As every year, the election of the Photographer of the Year is always awaited with tense anticipation. This is a reward that all the teenage photographers aspire to, but what does exactly mean being elected Photographer of the Year and how does the election work? And most importantly, who is 2017 Photographer of the Year? This blog post will walk you through all the steps to achieve this important acknowledgement and reveal the winner!
