Bolivia -To increase preparedness and resilience in vulnerable indigenous communities in Bolivia, IOM is taking part in the implementation of projects of the disaster preparedness programme of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department, ECHO (DIPECHO).

The project, called DIPECHO and Flood Resilience, is located near the basins of the Beni and Mamore rivers in the Bolivian departments of Beni and La Paz, and was officially launched this week in the city of La Paz, as part of the Humanitarian Implementation Plan (HIP) 2015-2016 for South America. The launch was attended by the Deputy Minister of Civil Defense of Bolivia, Oscar Cabrera, and the Ambassador of the European Delegation, Timothy Torlot.

One of the projects, led by the United Nations for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), aims at contributing to the development of the capacity and the adoption of resilient strategies for local communities and institutions.

In this joint effort, IOM will be responsible for training in the management and installation of temporary housing (shelters and camps), targeting various local actors at the municipal level.

“Implementation of the Resilience project strengthens the humanitarian role of IOM in response to the emergencies and provides the opportunity to consolidate IOM’s position in Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), linked to management risk," said Horacio Calle, IOM Bolivia Head of Office.

This intervention is part of a comprehensive action to generate and strengthen capacities of resilience to recurrent flood disasters and their effects on livelihoods, health, nutrition, availability of safe drinking water and organizations’ systems before and during the crisis in the areas of intervention.

This particular project will directly benefit some 7,900 families living in high-risk communities and, indirectly, to more than 41,000 families located in urban centers of the municipalities.

For further information please contact Adriana Arduz, IOM Bolivia, Tel: + 591 2 2770161, Email: aarduz@iom.int, Tel: + 591 2 2770161