21-04-2023 | di COOPI

Paraguay. One month after the floods, COOPI's emergency response

On 15 and 16 April, COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale completed its emergency response in the areas most affected by the late February floods in Paraguay. COOPI's response, financed by internal funds, was immediate and continued until 16 April.

During the course of last week, COOPI supported the territory of the indigenous community of Lengua Maskoy in Puerto Casado, in the northern part of the country. The district is one of the worst affected by the floods, which have consequently caused a progressive isolation of the locality over the last two months.COOPI's response took the form of the delivery of food kits to 400 households, reaching approximately 1600 people. The kit was composed on the basis of the traditional diet, in order to be able to intervene in a targeted and specific way for the populations most affected by the floods.

COOPI's action mainly targets indigenous communities and especially the most vulnerable groups: women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

Specifically, the indigenous communities most affected and to which COOPI has sought to provide an immediate response are Machete Vaina, Castilla, Livio Farina, San Isidro and María Auxiliadora.

The work was carried out in strong synergy with the national and local governments. Collaboration has been essential, especially to ensure access to the most inaccessible communities and has allowed COOPI to reach the affected areas with alternative transport, such as tractors: crossing the flooded roads was impossible with other means.

Some 20,000 people are affected by the floods, and it is therefore becoming necessary to intervene in both food security and nutritional assistance. Most also live in rural areas that are difficult to access because of the flooded and destroyed roads.

The situation is very complex but COOPI continues to remain present on the ground, as it has done since 2001.