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Colombia’s heaviest rains in decades have produced a flooding disaster affecting over 2.2 million people. With more than 300 people dead in the initial flooding and subsequent mudslides, Colombia has declared a national state of emergency in five regions, including the hardest-hit northern region.
AmeriCares has responded with emergency aid for the hundreds of thousands families who have lost their homes and their livelihoods by delivering $250,000 worth of critical medicines immediately, with another shipment on its way.
Through its partner in Colombia, AmeriCares relief efforts are providing anesthetics, anti-infection and anti-diarrheal medications and supplies to the affected communities. These lifesaving medicines are critical at this time to combat the rise of diseases such as dengue fever and malaria that often follow major flooding.
As rising floodwaters have forced many families from their homes, an estimated 500,000 children are facing an immediate risk of malnutrition. With a half million acres of critical farmland already under water and crops ruined, the Colombian government fears the loss of food supply will worsen the situation.
As rising floodwaters have forced many families from their homes, an estimated 500,000 children are facing an immediate risk of malnutrition.
“This emergency has compounded an already overwhelming rate of chronic malnutrition in Colombia where 15% of the country’s children are malnourished and suffering from life-threatening nutritional deficiencies,” explained Camille Grippon, director of Latin American global programs for AmeriCares. “And in the country’s most impoverished areas, malnutrition rates are alarmingly high, affecting 26% of children aged five and under.”
AmeriCares is addressing the food instability situation by actively pursuing donations of nutritionals to deliver in Colombia. In addition, AmeriCares has supplied medicines and medical supplies to U.S.-based doctors and health care teams traveling to Colombia in the wake of the flooding to provide volunteer medical care to people in desperate need. Since 1985, AmeriCares has delivered more than $51 million in aid to Colombia.
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