Corrimiento de tierras en La Paz

febrero 28, 2011

During the first stage of the emergency, Educo collaborated with Fundación Sumaj Huasi to provide medical tents to attend to the victims, along with cooking utensils, cleaning materials and personal hygiene products. In each of the fourteen camps, we trained environmental leaders to spread good health and environmental habits among inhabitants. We also installed chemical lavatories and drainage systems for disposal of gray water to help avoid the spread of illness.

The families were left with nothing. The loss of their homes, personal belonging, savings and, in many cases, work tools, only exacerbated the situation of poverty in which they already lived. This fact, combined with the difficult and problematic living conditions in the camps—with families being shared among several families and with no intimacy—especially affected women, who saw their role newly reduced to cooking and washing, while also facing greater risk of being subject to aggressive conduct. Many children, without the emotional support of their mothers and living in camps far from their usual education centers, stopped attending school.

To improve this situation, Educo collaborated with the local NGO Fundepco to provide 110 prefabricate home to the neediest families and provide them with better living conditions. Moreover, along with Fundación La Paz, we developed programs to boost women’s self-esteem by providing them with psychological support, information about their rights and technical skills training.