La Guajira Colombia Crisis: 35 of every 100,000 children under five Dying of Malnutrition

eltiempo.com reported the issue has gained relevance in recent days due to the severe situation facing La Guajira in terms of drought and to the imminent arrival of el Niño. As a result, President Juan Manuel Santos made his first field visit to this Department, on second day of his new mandate.

In this Department, 35 of every 100,000 children under five die from malnutrition, according to figures from the Dane. In La Guajira, 2013, are counted 123.200 children in that age range. “To less rainfall, less agriculture, therefore there is no protein to feed communities”, says Arturo Molina López, integral project coordinator to help 20 Wayuu communities give the land productivity. Program benefiting 1,590 inhabitants over the last 11 months, leads the Alpine Foundation through an agreement with the Interior Department. It is a pilot project that shows how to retrieve agricultural and livestock productivity in the corregimientos of Nazareth and Siapana, in the upper Guajira. Read Article