Temporary housing. Photo: Doris Pérez Mateus, LWF-ACT
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has provided One Great Hour of Sharing funds for responding to severe flooding in Colombia.
PDA funds have provided relief support to 1,434 persons affected by the outburst of the Arauca River through food distribution, health care, sanitation and housing.
Continuous heavy rains in Colombia since March 2007 have caused floods affecting 600,000 people in 247 municipalities and 27 departments. Some families who were originally displaced by the internal armed conflict in Colombia had sought refuge settling in marginal areas along riverbanks. With the ensuing floods, families then found themselves swept up into another emergency.
A particularly severe situation from the floods exists in the regions of Cordoba, in the north of the country, and Arauca, in the west near the Venezuelan border. More than 300 displaced families remained particularly vulnerable, living in appalling housing conditions in urban slums with little or no access to basic services.
PDA is working in cooperation with and supporting fellow members of the Action by Churches Together (ACT) International Alliance, Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) in this response. LWF and DKH are working with local faith-based partners in Colombia to meet the needs of survivors.
On the night of June 2, while Olga Afanador Pérez slept, a nightmare began to unfold around her. “At about two in the morning, I felt a jolt inside the house and got up to see what had happened. The house was already flooded and the water was level with the beds,” said Ms. Pérez.
As the night wore on, the water levels only continued to rise. “The force of the water knocked down the house entrance door. We had to leave the house to prevent drowning ourselves since the water was up to our necks,” recalls Ms. Pérez, a mother of five children and head of her household.
The floodwaters continued to sweep through the village of ‘20 de Julio’ in the municipality of Arauca. The Pérez family was rescued by staff from LWF’s local partner, Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights (CPDH).
“The flood didn’t leave us anything dry nor in good condition,” shared Ms. Pérez. “In the shelter we received medical attention, food and the support of the community.”
In the department of Cordoba, DKH, with its local partner Benposta, provided psychosocial assistance and recreational activities for 3,500 children along with emergency health care for 325 persons in the settlements of Palo de Agua, Nariño and Playón. DKH also intervened through rehabilitation of a local aqueduct.
As the waters recede, the PDA-supported relief and recovery efforts continue through providing support to 330 vulnerable families. Efforts include the operation of community kitchens, psychosocial and recreational activities for youths, health promotion and human rights workshops. All the activities form an integrated project, which aims at enabling communities to cope with future emergency situations.
Like others affected by this disaster, Ms. Pérez and her family remain thankful for what they do have, “We cried and hugged each other, giving thanks to God and to those that helped us.” |
