Indigenous communities participate in formulating government emergency response policies in the Chaco region

After months of severe draught continued to destroy food production and threaten human lives, the Paraguayan government declared a national emergency in the Chaco region between September and December 2008. The government convened leaders of various indigenous organizations that participate in the Chaco program, whom we assisted in formulating and presenting their proposals so that emergency aid would reach and help their communities. In stark contrast to the often inadequate government responses to emergency situations in Paraguay and other countries, the indigenous leaders felt that their participation in the national plan did indeed help secure the adequate provision of water, food and health services in dozens of communities during the drought. The Paraguayan government also convened several of these organizations to participate in the formulation of a Plan for the Civil Protection of the Chaco in November 2008, and indigenous organizations were active in petitioning various national ministries or secretariats (Indigenous Affairs, Environment, Public Works, Women’s Affairs) regarding a variety of policy issues.

Assistance to Refugees

Church World Service assists refugees who are uprooted from their homes by and communities by persecution and armed conflict.

CWS LAC provides support for Colombian refugees displaced by the entrenched armed conflict there as they resettled in Chile. Our partners connect new arrivals with a range of local services. They provide funding for subsistence while refugees settle in, and then help them find a job or create a small business to ensure their financial security. In mid-2009, our partners leveraged funds from the government of Chile to extend this program to 40 new refugees.