Sadly, in La Guajira, Colombia, thousands of Wayuu children suffer the scourge of starvation and thirst as a result of the government’s damming of the Rancheria River, to reroute the water to big farms and mines, and conduct oil drillings, according to news reports. On February 2015, Javier Rojas Uriana, legal representative of the Association of Traditional Indigenous Authorities of the Wayuu -Shipia Wayuu (ATIAWSW), petitioned the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights to issue emergency cautionary measures to the Colombian government to allow for the community to regain access to the river in an effort to prevent further fatalities and hardship. Despite the pressure from human rights organizations and activists, the Rancheria River remains “closed”.
According to a 2014 study commissioned by the ombudsman of the region, from 2011 thru 2014 at least 5,000 Wayuu children died of starvation and more than 37,000 Wayuu children were suffering malnutrition. Wayuu leaders asserted that the number of child deaths for that period was in reality closer to 14,000.
As lamentable circumstances continue at the present time, countless of destitute families have absolutely nothing to eat. While conducting a food distribution back in 2016, a Wayuu mom approached us and said, “you know, God sent you. We haven’t ate in five days and we were desperate. You are God-sent”. As you read this, there are many Wayuu children and families going to bed having nothing to eat, and struggling during the day to withstand hunger.
Through our No More Hunger program we have been able to provide essential food products to more than 600 Wayuu families and children twice a year, during our mission trips. Our No More Hunger program has expanded to daily school meals, to ensure our children are eating a healthy diet and have proper nutrition. We need your help. Your gift today will allow us to feed our school children continuously. Go ahead, do something great… stop starvation and save lives.
“Come you who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink…”— Matthew 25:34-35