The recent earthquake in Colombia could increase the risk of child recruitment by armed groups in Chocó and Valle del Cauca, where thousands of children remain out of school in areas already affected by conflict, the UN warned on Friday.
The quake damaged more than 3,800 educational facilities and has affected the education of more than one million students. Nearly 178,000 attend schools that suffered serious structural damage.
UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia María José Torres Macho said recruitment was already a concern in those areas before the disaster, where illegal armed groups are active.
"We are concerned that the situation of children out of school can exacerbate this problem," she told reporters at UN Headquarters.
In Chocó, some rural schools were completely destroyed, others partially collapsed and several remain at imminent risk of collapse. Assessments are also continuing in Risaralda and Caldas to determine which schools can reopen safely.
For the UN, restoring access to education is a priority not only to ensure learning can continue, but also to return children to protective environments.
Emergency in conflict-affected areas
The 7.4-magnitude earthquake on 10 August left 331 people dead, 4,449 injured and 219 missing. More than 406,000 people have been affected across 15 departments and 496 municipalities.
Many of the hardest-hit areas were already facing high levels of poverty, isolation and armed violence.
"Those areas most affected are those areas most vulnerable," she said, adding that the pre-existing conflict is creating challenges for both the emergency response and recovery.
Assessing needs
In Chocó, the UN still does not have complete information on the needs of some rural communities, particularly Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. Damage to roads, difficulties travelling along some rivers and electricity and connectivity problems are hampering both assessments and the delivery of aid.
Conflict-related displacement is also continuing alongside the earthquake response. In Sipí, Chocó, around 95 Afro-Colombian people were displaced from the community of Charco Hondo, with concern that displacement could spread to two neighbouring communities.
Ms. Torres Macho also highlighted the role of local authorities and Indigenous and Afro-Colombian organisations, which have been among the first responders in some of the most isolated areas. At the same time, she warned that some municipalities have limited capacity and are overwhelmed by the scale of the emergency.
Since 10 August, the UN system and humanitarian partners have reached around 72,000 people in 36 municipalities across Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas with food, water, medical care, medicines, shelter, psychosocial support, protection and education services.
Watch the full press confererence here:
Response amid funding shortfall
Following the earthquake, the United Nations updated its humanitarian response plan and estimates that 1.2 million people need assistance. Within that group, around 127,000 have been identified as among the most severely affected and in need of priority support, Ms. Torres Macho said.
The response requires $148.1 million, she said, but only 40 per cent of that has been received.
Among the most urgent needs are shelter, medical care, medicines, safe water, education and support to restore livelihoods.
Supply shortages emerge
In some places, available supplies are already beginning to run out. In Caldas, for example, food and hygiene distributions have relied in part on donations, but those stocks are being depleted, and there is not enough capacity to sustain the next rounds of assistance.
Problems also persist in temporary shelters. Among those assessed in Chocó, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca and Caldas, 33 per cent have sanitation and hygiene needs, 31 per cent face problems accessing water and 22 per cent need food.
Ms. Torres Macho said the response will also need to move quickly towards recovery and reconstruction, particularly in communities that were already vulnerable before the earthquake.
"It is very important to also provide support to the municipalities, so there is some urban planning and we don't reproduce vulnerability and end up creating another disaster."
