Private developmental organisations have emerged rapidly and forcefully in Peru, amid a turbulent national context of change and acute social and economic instability over the last two decades. While no official statistics exist on the number of such organisations (there is no single entity that oversees or registers their activity), independent studies and surveys indicate that almost 350 groups, of diverse objectives and coverage, are currently operating throughout the country.2 The forces and influences that have shaped this sector are complex, and this article does not attempt to address each individually. Rather; it focuses on those deemed most relevant: the factors that have left their mark on the sector of private development institutions as a whole. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.