Rapid Response Payment Request No. 34/2008
Funds Sent To: Lutheran World Federation
Amount Sent: US$ 60,000
Date: 23 December 2008
Details of Response
Emergency: Floods
Date of Emergency: Ongoing since 26 November 2008
Implementing Members:
- Lutheran World Federation/Department for World Service, Colombia Program - LWF/WS CO (administrator)
- ICCO-Kerkinactie/Project Counselling Service (PCS)¨
- Christian Aid
DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY: The second Colombian rainy season of 2008 began in August and reached a critical point in October, creating a state of general emergency in the country. The National Centre for Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported on 4 December 2008 that 26 out of 33 departments had been affected by continuous rains all over the country. An estimated 827,000 people in 320 municipalities were affected, with 1,685 houses destroyed and 75,989 houses damaged.
The Winter Season Report (4 December 2008) of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) emphasized the serious situation for the Department of El Chocó with 21.7 percent of the population affected. El Chocó is the second most affected department with (as of December 16) 151.989 affected people and 13.793 damaged houses, 377 housed destroyed and 1 disappeared person. The rains have caused the overflow of the Rivers San Juan, Baudó, Atrato and all its tributaries, causing destruction of houses, loss of 90 % of the crops, loss of animals and much of the agricultural tools.
The most affected areas in Chocó are those communities situated in the watershed of the Baudó, Atrato, and San Juan rivers. In Medio San Juan municipality more than 70% of the inhabitants are reported affected increasing the level of vulnerability which is already impacted by the internal armed conflict. The floods have damaged the infrastructure, among which water tanks and access roads. Communities are only accessible from the river.
ACTIONS TO DATE, AND EMERGENCY NEEDS: Flood affected communities have a high level of unattended basic needs. In particular people need shelter, hygiene kits, cleaning materials, cooking utensils, medicines, batteries, lighters, food and tanks for water storage. The Istmina Diocesis attends 18 municipalities in the area with approximately 800 communities. From 13 to 16 December, the PCS project officer travelled through the affected area to complement the information received from the dioceses. The proposed area of intervention focuses on one of the most critically affected municipalities: Medio San Juan. According to information gathered by ICCO/KIA - PCS based on reports from the Diocesis of Istmina and Quibdó and the Inter Agency Steering Committee (IASC) members in Chocó (OCHA, World Food Program, UNICEF), in Medio San Juan 2,342 families (11,400 people) are in need of shelter, food, water, and health utilities.
PROPOSED EMERGENCY RESPONSE:
OBJECTIVE(S) OF THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE: To provide emergency relief to families most severely affected by the overflow of the San Juan river, in the district of Istmina, Department of Chocó, in the form of food, and basic relief infrastructure.
TARGET POPULATIONS: Minimum 335 affected families with about 2,000 persons. Among the targeted population, 26% are children, 44% women and 3% elderly people. The selection of food items and the construction of the infrastructure will respect the customs of the Afro-Colombian population living in the area. Special care will be given to the security situation of women and children, in the context of the armed conflict these communities are facing.
PROPOSED ASSISTANCE:
Food assistance: The ACT members will set up three community kitchens in three communities to provide one daily meal to 1890 persons for three months. Each community will set up a coordination committee to ensure good quality food in accordance with the food culture of the region and participation of the community members. In addition, 20 families living outside the villages with particular need of assistance will receive one food basket per month during the period of implementation. The infrastructure of the community kitchens consisting of tables, plastic covers, and roofing as well as kitchen utensils will be handed over to the Community Councils after completion of the response.
Distribution of non food items: 120 hygiene kits will be distributed to 120 families, with special items for women and children. Night kits will be distributed to 120 families which include torches, batteries, mosquito nets and bed sheets. 50 families will each receive a water tank with 1,000 litres capacity.
Infrastructure and protection: construction of a wooden shelter with the capacity to host 20 families whose houses are still under water. A boat will be provided to help transport the relief items, building materials and people in case of emergency. The communities are only accessible by boat which put the transport costs at a high level.
IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS:
The ACT members will hire a Coordinator and ensure the implementation of the response though a steering committee in cooperation with the Istmina Diocese Social Ministry and the active participation of ACADESAN, a regional organization of Afro-Colombian communities. A Memo of Understanding will be signed with the Diocese Social Ministry of Istmina and the ACADESAN, spelling out special modalities on the coordination and the adherence to the Humanitarian Code of Conduct. One representative of the Social Ministry and ACADESAN will be nominated in order to access the communities in a responsible and secure way in view of the armed conflict in the region. LWF/WS CO will be in charge of the implementation, administration and finance and apply ACT guidelines and policies.
COORDINATION: The ACT members will jointly monitor the project through an ad-hoc monitoring committee which will take the decisions and elaborate the reports. Other ACT members in Colombia will be informed of the progress. The RRF proposal and the reports will be shared with them and will be placed on the LWF/WS CO website. ACT International will be made visible, which will also be a protection for the community and the implementing team, since the region has a high level of armed group presence.
LWF/WS CO is a member of IASC in the region of Chocó and will, therefore, coordinate the response with those United Nations agencies present in the implementation area. The ACT members will also coordinate with other organisations with regard to the health and special care to the children (Médecins Sans Frontières Belgium).
COMMUNICATIONS: From January, LWF/WS will have a professional communicator who will share stories and updates with the ACT Alliance.
PLANNED IMPLEMENTATION PERIOD: The implementation will start end of December and will be completed by end of March 2009, for a total period of three months.
BUDGET: US$ 60,000
(For the detailed budget, kindly visit the ACT site. Thank you.)
ACTION
The ACT Co-ordinating Office has approved the use of US$ 60,000 towards the budget from its Rapid Response Fund and would be grateful to receive contributions to wholly or partially replenish this payment. Should there be an appeal for this emergency, the RRF payment will be considered as an advance.
Please kindly send your contributions to either of the following ACT bank accounts:
US dollar
Account Number - 240-432629.60A
IBAN No: CH46 0024 0240 4326 2960A
Euro
Euro Bank Account Number - 240-432629.50Z
IBAN No: CH84 0024 0240 4326 2950Z
Account Name: ACT - Action by Churches Together
UBS AG
8, rue du Rhône
P.O. Box 2600
1211 Geneva 4, SWITZERLAND
Swift address: UBSWCHZH80A
Please also inform the Finance Officer Jessie Kgoroeadira (jkg@act-intl.org) and the Programme Officer, Michael Hyden (mhy@act-intl.org), of all pledges/contributions and transfers, including funds sent direct to the implementers, now that the Pledge Form is no longer attached to the Appeal.
We would appreciate being informed of any intent to submit applications for EU, USAID and/or other back donor funding and the subsequent results. We thank you in advance for your kind cooperation.
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ACT is a global alliance of churches and related agencies working to save lives and support communities in emergencies worldwide.
The ACT Coordinating Office is based with the World Council of Churches (WCC) and The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) in Switzerland.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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