Summary: 306,339 Swiss francs have been allocated from the IFRC’s Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 12 March 2013 to support the National Society in delivering immediate assistance to some 10,000 beneficiaries.Although the rainy season in Bolivia lasted between November and March, in the second week of January the rains intensified and continued to fall throughout February, slowly affecting the entire country. As consequence of the rains, several floods, hail storms, and overflowing of rivers have affected 67 municipalities in eight departments. Moreover, drought is affecting four departments in Bolivia (Tarija, Chuquisaca and Santa Cruz in El Chaco, as well as the southern part of Cochabamba).According to the vice-minister of the Civil Defence, the most critical situation in El Chaco is found in the departments of Tarija and Chuquisaca. A number of 16,627 families are at risk of suffering the effects of drought, as well as 25,190 cattle. The national government authorities are evaluating the possibility of declaring a national drought emergency.
With this update, the operation’s original timeframe is extended to 31 July 2013 to ensure the completion of activities proposed in the DREF bulletin. In line with the IFRC reporting standards, the final narrative and financial reports are scheduled to be available on 31 October 2013, 90 days after the conclusion of the operation.
The Belgian Red Cross and government, the Canadian Red Cross and government, and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) has contributed to the replenishment of the DREF. The major donors and partners of the DREF include the Australian, American and Belgian governments, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, the Danish Red Cross and government, the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich foundations, and other corporate and private donors. The IFRC, on behalf of the Red Cross Society of Bolivia, would like to extend thanks to all the donors for their generous contributions. Details of the donors can be found on http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/responding/disaster-response-system/financial-instruments/disaster-relief-emergency-fund-dref/.