.png){kind=logo}
More than 19,700 people in Ucayali and Madre de Dios are enduring the emergency thanks to the delivery of humanitarian aid
- Communities in both regions received kits for food, water, hygiene, and dengue prevention, items to protect children and affected families.
- The distribution of tons of humanitarian aid was made possible thanks to funding from Start Network and the partnership between Save the Children, World Vision, DAS Peru, Propurus, and Caritas Madre de Dios.
Due to the intense rains and floods recorded in Ucayali and Madre de Dios, since last February hundreds of families have been struggling to meet their basic needs for food, health, and hygiene. In this scenario, thanks to funding from the Start Fund, Save the Children, and allied organizations distributed humanitarian aid in both regions, benefiting more than 19,700 people affected by the emergency.
The delivery was made possible through the partnership between World Vision, DAS Peru, Propurus, and Caritas Madre de Dios. The collaborative effort enabled the distribution of food and supplies to medical personnel, as well as the rehabilitation of health facilities and the provision of disease prevention kits such as for dengue.
Only in Yurúa and Purús, on the border with Brazil, communities received 23.5 tons of aid, which was transported by plane, helicopter and river routes. This represents a historic operation for this area of Perú, given the difficulty of access, logistics, and the volume of aid delivered.
Last February, the rains left classrooms submerged, health centers inaccessible, and caused crop losses leading to food shortages. Furthermore, due to the lack of clean water, families were forced to drink from contaminated wells.
“During the flood, we had nowhere to go, I was scared, I didn’t know what we would eat because the crops were ruined”
- Henry, a 10-year-old boy, lives in one of the affected communities.
Among the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid, more than 10,300 children and adolescents were registered, who during the emergency were exposed to multiple dangers, such as an increase in diarrheal and respiratory diseases.
The damage caused to school classrooms and educational materials, combined with limited access to healthcare, still pose the risk of deepening the gaps in these Amazonian communities.
“The children have many needs, they don’t have school supplies or medicines. Sometimes they get sick and we can’t take them to the health center, we need to protect them so they don’t get sick from coughs, flu, diarrhea, or mosquito bites”
- Jenny Torres, a teacher in the community of Curanjillo.
As part of the intervention, the activation of a district working group was achieved to promote access to protection services for children, who are exposed to situations of violence and other risks.
Thanks to the distributed humanitarian aid kits, hundreds of families have managed to cope with the emergency. However, families in the affected area are at risk of suffering further damage from new floods, given the high vulnerability of their communities.
DATO
- Indigenous communities in border areas face several challenges: houses lack clean water systems, the cost of living is very high due to the remoteness of the area; educational infrastructure is precarious, and access to school supplies is limited.
- The distribution of humanitarian aid was made possible thanks to the support of entities such as the Peruvian Air Force (FAP), the Regional Government of Ucayali, the Municipality of Coronel Portillo, the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP), the District Municipality of Yurúa, among others.
