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Bolivia

CERF allocated $2 million in response to serious droughts in Bolivia

7 December 2010: Some $846,000 has been allocated to the World Food Programme (WFP) for food assistance for drought affected families, children, and mothers in El Chaco region. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will use $578,000 to provide safe water and nutritional support. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will receive $350,000 to distribute agricultural items. Some $142,000 has gone to the World Health Organization (WHO) for restoring the previous health and nutritional status of the affected families and reducing maternal and newborn mortality. Finally, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will use $88,000 for reducing mortality and morbidity, increasing response capacity of health centres, and raising awareness and understanding on maternal health risks.

Bolivia is facing a severe drought in El Chaco, a region with a population of 370,000 people in an area of 128,000 km2. El Chaco is located in the southeast of Bolivia and the region is characterized by a very low population density, high degree of dispersion, and poor or no road connection. The environmental degradation in El Chaco is increasing due to excessive pasturing, over exploitation of forest resources, desertification, increase in drought frequency, soil and wind erosion, and increased salinity of the aquifer.

The rainfall deficit this year reached 32 to 71 per cent in various sub regions, and it was also unevenly distributed, causing extensive damage to agricultural production, provision of water for human and animal consumption, and deeply affecting the communities' livelihoods, food security, health, nutrition and even education.

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