Barter of shoes for food in Arequipa, Peru.

"Cambiatón" is called the new practice by which footwear producers in Arequipa and nearby, burdened by lack of sales, general inactivity and isolation, exchange footwear for food.

In this way, they try to circumvent the state of emergency generated by COVID-19, which keeps footwear manufacturing almost entirely paralyzed throughout the country.

The initiative is carried out by entities linked to the sector, such as Arequipa Shoe School and various associations that bring together numerous manufacturers, mostly micro and small workshops.

According to leaders, in the region of Arequipa there are about 3,500 footwear manufacturers, who are suffering the consequences of the health crisis, many of which are on the edge of the closure.

So far, the situation seems irreversible, as no aid or benefit has been received from the government.

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SALVAGE. By decree, the government buys footwear from small manufacturers