Santos visits starving communities in Colombia’s ‘richest’ state

[Judi Lynn]

Santos visits starving communities in Colombia’s ‘richest’ state
Aug 8, 2014 posted by Victoria McKenzie

In his first act as president after inauguration, President Juan Manuel Santos visited Colombia’s northernmost state on Friday, where residents have been dying due to drought, political apathy, and a mismanagement of public funds.
Santos landed in La Guajira with members of the Colombian Air Force to carry tons of food, water, and medicine to communities suffering from thirst and malnutrition, Caracol Radio reported.

Often called Colombia’s richest state for the presence of El Cerrejon, Latin America’s largest coal mining operation, La Guajira also has double the child mortality rate of any other state in the country, and in some cases, triple.

Over 50% of the population of La Guajira is indigenous, and lives in roughly 3000 different communities called “rancherias” scattered throughout the state.

The largely desert territory faces a maelstrom of problems such as drought, corruption, and lack of transportation infrastructure. The entire state lacks potable water, including the capital, Riohacha, where water is only available in plastic bags sold at stores.

More:
http://colombiareports.co/santos-visits-starving-communities-in-colombias-richest-state/

[Louisiana1976]

1. Very interesting post.