Flooding in Bolivia

Severe floods have driven thousands of people from their homes and caused widespread damage in the north-eastern Beni region of Bolivia.

The situation

The La Nina weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean has badly exacerbated Bolivia's rainy season this year. Since November, several parts of the country have suffered from severe flooding which has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

  We had to carry all our things. Everything that we left behind will have been destroyed now.

A woman living in Chetequije camp, housing people who have fled the floods

The north-eastern district of Beni, which has been worst affected, is especially prone to natural disasters and was also badly hit by flooding in 2007.

Oxfam's response

Oxfam is providing water and sanitation – water tanks, latrines, showers and laundry stations – to 2,000 families in the eight biggest camps in the Beni region. This is urgent work, and it is fundamental for the health, safety, and basic dignity of those who have been made homeless by the floods.

But as long as people keep coming back to the camps year after year, there is neither change nor development. Therefore, Oxfam’s emergency response is part of a wider piece of work, supporting local institutions to make them better able to prevent and manage disasters. We are also lobbying for a more permanent solution to the flooding problem, via tactics such as improving the protective dyke around the city of Trinidad, or relocation of vulnerable communities.

In pictures: Distant ancestors hold key to tackling modern poverty

Strengthening women in an emergency situation

We know that women’s vulnerability increases drastically in displacement situations. Therefore, Oxfam always consults women on where to locate latrines, showers and laundry stations – taking into consideration the need for safe and easy access to these facilities, but also making sure that women will have sufficient privacy and protection when they use them. The team also promotes rotating schedules whereby women are in charge of cleaning and maintaining their facilities, and men are in charge of theirs. This is done in order to avoid the women being left in charge of all the cleaning, as is often the case.

As for personal security, Oxfam is lobbying for clear guidelines on interaction between camp security staff and the camp population, especially women and girls. Violence against women always increases in these situations, and we will also advocate for legal units in the camps where abuse can be registered and reported.

Good emergency responses are never just about supplying vital equipment to people, even though this is a crucial and lifesaving activity.  We have to take into account the way people behave, and the relationships between them. We also have to consider the longer term effects on communities of losing entire livelihoods, and help people re-acquire the resources they need to pick up their lives again after disasters.

Update: March 2008