15,000 at Risk from Hunger and Malnutrition in North Colombia

A four-year-old girl died Sunday night in the northern Colombian department of Guajira from complications stemming from malnutrition, a symbol of a much greater problem in a region that is dealing with thousands of malnourished children.

It is estimated that about 15,000 children in Guajira, home to the Wayuu indigenous community, suffer from malnutrition due to a lack of basic resources.

Two other deaths of underage children due to malnutrition have also recently been reported in the region.

The delegate attorney for children and adolescents in Colombia, Ilva Myriam Hoyos, describes the situation in the northern Colombian department as “outrageous.”

He criticizes government officials, “who seem unaware that these deaths have any connection with the issue of malnutrition,” adding that he has long requested that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Health apply precautionary measures and monitor the region's levels of nutrition.

So far, the most affected towns are Uribia, Manaure, Riohacha and Maicao. But according to Hoyos the situation of poverty, inequality and neglect are located all over the state of Guajira, which is “facing a real humanitarian crisis.”

“(It is) a crisis of social character that has unfortunately affected many children. Around 15,000 children are in a situation of malnutrition due to lack of resources,” said Hoyos.

The Colombian government issued a statement following the death of the first two children in the Wayuu community, regretting their loss and saying that fighting malnutrition is one of the priorities of the state.

Human rights activist Piedad Cordoba recently denounced the humanitarian tragedy experienced by the indigenous people of La Guajira in Colombia, saying it is the fault of “the inaction of successive governments.”

On her Twitter account, Cordoba reported that the indigenous communities of the department of the Guajira, especially those of the Wayuu ethnicity, lack potable water and suffer from the lack of good health and education systems.

Cordoba also stated that in the past eight years, 4,770 children of Wayuu origin died from lack of food and drinking water, “looted and abandoned area that deserves attention,” she said.