Following floods international aid agencies move to help El Salvador
WNN Breaking
El Salvador mother and her teenage child in shelter following October floods. Image: Marta Benavides
(WNN) EL SALVADOR: The IOM – International Organization for Migration and partners have distributed shelter repair kits and other humanitarian assistance to 500 families in El Salvador forced to flee their homes following days of relentless heavy rains in October, and who have until now been taking shelter in collective centres.
The heavy rains which had affected much of Central America, had killed an estimated 123 people, forced tens of thousands from their homes and destroyed crops, livelihoods and infrastructure.
“The 500 families assisted thus far have left the centres where they had taken refuge and have now returned to damaged homes. The humanitarian assistance provided by IOM and its partners will allow them to make the necessary repairs to their homes so that they can resume their lives in a safe environment,” explains Christopher Gascon, IOM’s Regional Emergency Coordinator.
The shelter repair kits include roofing sheets, wooden beams and planks, basic hardware such as screws and nails as well as tool kits. So far 100 homes have been repaired.
IOM partner NGOs are providing technical engineering support assessing damage to homes and supervising the repairs to ensure maximum quality.
“There is a great effort underway to help the families repair their homes and restart their daily routines. The local governments, the communities and the NGOs are all working together,” adds Gascon.
Other humanitarian relief supplies include house-cleaning kits (brooms, buckets, shovels and detergent), along with comfort kits (mattresses, pillows and linens) as well as kitchen and hygiene kits.
IOM and its four local partners PLAN International, World Vision, World Lutheran Federation, and CONAMUS, are focusing their efforts in the departments of Ahuachapán, La Libertad, La Paz and Usulután.
An additional 200 families targeted by IOM will receive their humanitarian supplies by the end of next week in a response funded by the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
______________________________
©2011/2012 WNN – Women News Network
No part of this article release may be reproduced without prior permissions from WNN.
_________
You may also like -
600 Guatemalan judges sharpen legal skills to prosecute human traffickersWNN Breaking This woman and child in Atiqua, Guatemala (2005) is part of Guatemalan society where poverty has contributed to a lack of human rights for women as well ... 
Energy Forests, the Feminine Art of ReforestingEdgardo Ayala and Claudia Ávalos - IPS - Monday, 04 May 2012 (originally published 30 Apr) Elsy Álvarez and María Menjivar – with her young daughter – planting plantain ... 
Adequate funding for women suffering under climate change falls shortRebekah Curtis - WNN Breaking A displaced elder woman in Abyei, Sudan waits for her emergency food rations heavy fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan Peoples Liberation ... 
Short URL: http://womennewsnetwork.net/?p=12929
