|TOP|Lutheran World Relief has been working with the worst hit victims of the severe rains and hailstorms that struck Bolivia in January and February, leaving more than a quarter-million Bolivians with a hard struggle to rebuild their lives again.

The disaster, which received little coverage in mainstream media, has been “devastating”, said Jean Waagbo, Associate Director for Latin America with Lutheran World Relief.

“Many families lost everything – their crops, their livestock, even their homes were destroyed. Some communities were partially buried in mud eight feet deep,” said Waagbo. “Recovery will take many months.”

Commenting on the lack of media coverage, Waagbo said: “This is one of the situations that we call a forgotten emergency. It didn’t get a lot of media coverage, so few people were even aware that it was happening.

|QUOTE|“But our continued support of the people affected by this disaster is absolutely necessary if we are to keep them from sliding further into poverty. They were already poor, now this disaster has taken away everything they had.”

LWR has been active in the flood-stricken areas supporting victims on behalf of the global aid alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International.

Farming families in the department of Santa Cruz have been provided assistance by LWR, including seeds and tools to help them grow new replacement crops.|AD|

Other assistance has included the provision of one male and one female sheep to enable them to replace lost herds and tree seedlings to begin the reforestation process.

The Santa Cruz communities have also received training by a LWR local Bolivia-based partner to give them the skills needed in implementing sustainable agricultural practices.

The LWR, which aims to take out poverty and injustice at the root, has promised a long term commitment to support the regeneration of communities hit by the flood.

“Our involvement with the flood-affected communities will not end with the harvest of the first crop,” it said in a press statement. “LWR will remain involved with development in these communities even after the crisis phase has passed.”