Colombia
Funding appeals and humanitarian action updates
Colombia has been severely affected by floods and landslides caused by extreme rainfall which began in mid-September and which has increased seriously over the last two weeks. The heavy rainy season has been one the harshest and most disastrous of recent times in Colombia. Government reports establish that 935,500 people are affected (189,000 families) in 27 of the total 32 Departments of Colombia.
UNICEF and its partners, including sister UN agencies and international and national non-governmental organizations, are working closely with the Government of Colombia to respond rapidly and effectively to the crisis. UNICEF is requesting the sum of US$1.7 million to cover key interventions in the areas of water, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition, education and child protection throughout the affected areas over the coming four months. This emergency response will feed into the United Nations joint response plan as soon as it becomes available.
Colombia Immediate Needs - 10 December 2008 [pdf]
The internal conflict in Colombia continues to take its toll on children. Based on official records, in the past 10 years, two million Colombians have been displaced, more than half of which are children.
All known illegal armed groups recruit children. The average recruitment age of these children is 13 years and 88% of these children take part in warfare activities such as combating, explosive manufacturing, planting of landmines or guarding of hostages.
Colombia has also experienced an increase in the number of events involving mines and unexploded ordnances (UXO) between 1990 and 2006, registering the highest number of new victims worldwide in 2005. UNICEF provides protection and life-saving assistance to displaced children and women, seeks to prevent the recruitment of child soldiers, supports the reintegration of children who were part of illegal armed groups, and carries out mine action activities.
In addition to the conflict, Colombia is also vulnerable to natural disasters, including earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions. In April, UNICEF assisted 520 indigenous people of the Nasas ethnic group from the Cauca Department after the eruption of the Huila Volcano. In June, UNICEF intervened in the Mojana region with psychosocial recovery activities for children left homeless and displaced due to floods and landslides. Recently the rainy season severely affected the Department of Cordoba and UNICEF is responding to the needs of affected children and their families.
Colombia Humanitarian Action Update 28 Sep 2007 [pdf]
