More than 5,000 children in the central-western region of Colombia,
whose families were severely impacted by the heavy rains that have
affected the country for the past several months, are returning to
school, with support from IOM.

With an estimated 814 schools around the country damaged by the
heavy rains, IOM is working with the Colombian government to find
alternative solutions for the school year to begin.

The first to benefit from this initiative are the 5,000 children
from central western Colombia that are starting their classes in
emergency classrooms which have been set up in cultural centres and
institutional spaces provided by the communities and adapted by
IOM.

IOM also adapted 45 schools that served as temporary shelters
for 1,247 persons who had lost their homes and has now assisted
them to relocate to homes rented by the government.  The
schools were used as temporary shelters as they were empty for the
holiday break and given the urgent need to house families left
homeless by the recent flooding.

To repair and refurbish the damaged schools, IOM has signed a
cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Education to provide
temporary classrooms, equipment, repairs, technical,
administrative, and logistical support.  The repairs, which
will benefit an estimated 60,000 students and will take place
throughout 2011, are funded by US$18 million from the Ministry of
Education and US$750,000.00 from IOM and the US Agency for
International Development.

IOM has also built more than 750 temporary shelters, locally
known as tambos, in affected areas and has provided water and
sanitation services to 500 families and support to communities and
local authorities in coordinating  activities and allocating
recourses.

According to Education Minister, Maria Fernando Campo, "The
situation was very worrying because more than 800 schools in 160
municipalities in 18 Departments (of a total of 32) were
damaged.  This has put at risk the education of 320,000
children, so we have made a commitment to ensure that these
children will have a proper education in 2011."

The Ministry’s Office of Risk Management has reported more
than 478,000 families affected by the rains (more than 2.1 millions
persons), 316,000 houses damaged and 3,614 destroyed.  This
year’s exceptionally strong rainy season was blamed on the
weather phenomenon known as La Niña, which produces low
temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and heavy winds that bring rain
to South America.

For more information, please contact:

Jorge Gallo

IOM Bogota

Tel: +57 1 639 7777

E-mail: "mailto:jgallo@iom.int">jgallo@iom.int