Puentes works in the La Libertad department (or state) or Northern Peru. This department is anchored by the city of Trujillo located on the coast of Peru eight hours north of Lima. La Libertad extends from the coast to include both mountainous and rainforest regions.
The terrain, climate, economic conditions and population vary depending on each region of La Libertad. The coast, anchored by the commercial center of Trujillo, is dry. Winters are cloudy and overcast and summers dry and hot. The seasons in the coast are reverse from those in the Northern hemisphere.
Trujillo is a professional based economy with a high level of investment in public and private infrastructure. There is an active banking environment, high usage of computer and internet technology and home to the most respected university in the North. Outside of Trujillo many areas are marked with extreme poverty from those that do not have the skills to insert themselves in a professional market. In addition the schools and health structures provided cannot keep up with the demand and growth of the regions. Finally environmental degradation is of issue. Little scientific and environmental education exists and community and governmental practices aimed at protecting the environment are lacking.
The coastal area holds a little over half of the population of La Libertad and accounts for about 37% of its land region.
The other 63% of the department is mountains and small sparsely populated band of rainforest in the eastern extreme. These areas feature hot dry summers and winters marked by heavy rains. The seasons occur at the same times that they do in the northern hemisphere and opposite of the seasons in the coast.
In contrast to the coast life is lived off the land in the mountains. Agriculture is the number one economic activity. In some areas the products are specialized however in most subsistence practices are the norm. Infrastructure investment in La Libertad is wildly uneven. The coast receives over 90% of public investment, particularly in Trujillo and major communities along the international Pan Americana highway. In the rest of the department few paved roads exist and the highway infrastructure features gaps. Schools and medical posts cannot answer the demand and suffer from a high level of degradation, a lack of equipment and supplies and sometimes a lack of personnel.