Relief comes to 525 starving children in drought-stricken northeast Colombia

Centro Etnoeducativo Kasutalain, (Photo: Victoria Mckenzie)

Malnourished children in Colombia’s northeastern state of La Guajira are to receive emergency relief from Colombia’s Pediatric and Nutritional Medical Brigade beginning on Friday.

La Guajira

The program, entitled, “Not One More,” consisting of over 70 volunteers including medical staff, pilots, and logistical teams, will collaborate with several organizations to provide care to some 525 children suffering from acute malnutrition, according to Colombia’s El Espectador newspaper.

After relief is provided to those most seriously in need, the program will assist a further 1,000 children whose conditions are less severe, as more resources become available.

Each child will be cared for by a nurse, a nutritionist, and a pediatrician, who will determine the level of severity for each case and take the appropriate actions.

The children will also be given the necessary medicines along with nutritional kits for an additional three weeks.

Additionally, Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office will conduct a hearing on Friday to follow up on the malnutrition crisis experienced by the indigenous population of La Guajira, Colombia’s W Radio reports.

According to the inspector general, the hearing will analyze the efforts of policy makers with regards to the implementation of humanitarian assistance and public policies to guarantee the rights to food and healthcare for those suffering in the region.

La Guajira is one of the states hit most hard by the severe drought that has been plaguing various regions of Colombia.

Sources

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