IOM is distributing non-food items to families affected by the recent floods in Bolivia.

Working with the government and the Provincial Emergency Operations Centres, IOM is this week distributing 108 hygiene kits, 27 kitchen kits, and 108 housing kits to 108 families (some 500 individuals) in the communities of Llojeta, Obispo Bosque, Periférica, Hampaturi, Kupini Khasa, Kupini Balsa, and Minasa, located near the capital, La Paz.
 
IOM is also coordinating with the government, the Bolivian Red Cross, United Nations agencies and NGO partners to bring food and non-food items, including temporary shelters, to isolated indigenous communities in the Amazon area.  The items are being delivered by boat to the remote locations and may take up to 20 days to reach those areas.

Also this week, IOM is distributing three tonnes of non-food items that include 1,000 mosquito nets, 1,000 hygiene kits and 200 tarpaulins to families in the Department of Beni and Santa Cruz.

Since November 2007, extreme climatic events caused by the La Niña phenomenon have affected all nine departments of Bolivia.  Floods, mudslides and landslides have caused deaths, injury and the internal displacement of more than 94,000 families. The most vulnerable communities have lost their livelihoods and income, in many cases for the third subsequent year.  The floods are expected to continue through April. 

As the lead agency for shelter and housing, IOM is managing the evaluation and improvement of the camps for the displaced, as well as their management.

IOM has assisted in the set up of Rapid Response Centres (CARR by its Spanish acronym) and Camp Management Centres (AC by its Spanish acronym).  The central CARR is located in La Paz.  In the province of Santa Cruz, three CARRs were set up to reach  2,600 families in need of support, as well as eight ACs.  In the province of Beni, one CARR was set up in Trinidad and five ACs are now active in two camps housing the displaced. This work is carried out in coordination with World Vision and Plan International as IOM's counterparts for humanitarian response.

IOM has drafted working guidelines for camp managers in order to ensure that all needs are being addressed, particularly the identification of the most vulnerable groups and to step up the registration of all camp residents.

As part of the UN's Flash Appeal for Bolivia , IOM has requested almost USD 3.4 million.  It is carrying out emergency operations with USD 263,994 received from the UN's Central Emergency Relief Fund and USD 600,000 from the Dutch government.

For more information, please contact:

Carina Usmayo
IOM La Paz
Tel: + 236.9044
E-mail: cusmayo@iom.int