Silver Spring, Maryland - The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is implementing Phase II of a project to aid livestock farmers severely affected by heavy rainfall and snowstorms since June in Peru. Affecting 41 provinces, the severe weather has damaged cattle raising, agriculture, infrastructure, and the health of children and the elderly.
The project, benefiting 620 people in 12 communities, will provide 21 tons of cattle food and construct 55 protective shelters for 2,200 alpacas, sheep, and vicuÒa (wild alpacas). Training will also be provided on construction, usage, and maintenance of the shelters as well as nutrition for the cattle. The three-month project, valued at nearly $95,000, was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ADRA International, ADRA Norway, and the South American Division of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It will target the province of Espinar in the department of Cusco and the provinces of Acora and San Antonio de Esquilache in the department of Puno. The beneficiaries are those whose main income is from raising cattle, who had no protected cattle areas, or are of low economic condition.
In Phase I of its response, ADRA provided food, blankets, hats, gloves, and heavy clothing to communities in the departments of Ayacucho, Apurimac, Huancavelica, Cusco, and Puno.
The prolonged exposure to cold weather has caused hypothermia, acute breathing infections, pneumonia, and the death of many people, especially children under the age of five and the elderly. Furthermore, it has caused the loss of crops and highland pastures, cattle deaths, partial loss of homes, and road blockages.
The project will be implemented in partnership with the Department Civil Defense Regional Committee, Province and District Civil Defense Committees, as well as community and municipal authorities.
ADRA is present in more than 120 countries providing individual and community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, or ethnicity.
Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.
Media Contact:
Michelle L. Oetman
ADRA International
12501 Old Columbia Pike
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Phone: 800.931.ADRA (2372)
Fax: 301.680.6370
E-mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org