World Vision Provides Aid to El Niño Victims

World Vision recently provided aid to residents of Guarayos and families from the Bolivian Departments of Santa Cruz and Beni, following the devastation brought through the weather caused by the El Niño effect.

Aid delivery was carried out in partnership with the country's foremost television network - the ATB Network, and three newspapers. The delivery was broadcast nationwide in Bolivia, live from Guarayos, covering the entire seven-hour trip from departure in Santa Cruz to arrival in Guarayos.

Twenty-six-year old Hilarion Rojas from Pedro Marban community in the municipality of San Andrés says that it took them eight hours to get to Guarayos because of the flooding, but it usually takes only three hours. He said that three kilometres of the road, which is roughly two miles, is now under water.

Says Rojas: "Our community wasn't flooded because it is situated on high ground, but we ended up living on somewhat of an island. We are completely surrounded by water. Everything that we planted has gone bad and some of our children have taken ill from bathing in tainted water."

He notes that the residents have no idea how supplies will make their way to them, because the only way to get there is by air or by water.

Shipment distributed on this occasion include food, hygiene kits, water drums, mosquito nets, and water purifiers.

Mayor Robert Shuck of Guarayos, in Santa Cruz Department, and Mayor Wilson Zavala of San Andrés, in Beni Department, gratefully received the donation, which will be distributed to affected families in coordination with World Vision.

The Mayor of Guarayos said the aid represented an incentive for them to begin developing people, and should not create a paternalistic situation, but instead it just represented aid to tide families over until they can get back on their feet.

In addition, François de la Roche, Regional Human Emergency Affairs Director for Latin America, expressed his gratitude to the German government and to all of the entities that pulled together to lend support to those most in need of urgent help to alleviate the situation that they are currently undergoing.