United Nations System
Standing Committee on Nutrition

Nutrition Information in Crisis Situations - Colombia
 

NICS 3, August 2004

Colombia has been experiencing 40 years of civil unrest, in which several armed guerrilla movements, such as the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN) are engaged. This has led to the displacement of several thousands of people inside the country and in nearby countries. In 2003, it was estimated that 904 of the 1,100 municipalities were affected (IDPProject, 2003). IDPs suffer from inadequate food intake due to a limited access to food and they are in worse living conditions than the urban poor (WFP, 16/06/03).

Puerto Asis municipality, Putumayo department

Putumayo department is one of the areas which was the most affected by violence and population displacement in 2003. Puerto Asis municipality has received a high number of displaced families, who settled mostly with relatives.

The majority of the population in Puerto Asis municipality face difficult living conditions with limited access to employment, poor housing conditions and intra-familial and social violence. About 40% of the displaced families are female-headed. The population reported that their main needs are food, shelter, work, children's care, potable water and access to health care.

A random-sampled nutrition survey was conducted in the urban area of Puerto Asis municipality in June 2004 (ACH, 06/04). The rate of acute malnutrition was low, but under-weight and stunting were higher (table 10). These results were within the same range as the DHS national survey carried out in 2000, which found 0.8% wasting, 13.5% stunting and 6.7% under-weight (DHS, 2000).

Table 10 Nutritional status, Puerto Asis municipality, Putumayo department, Colombia, June 2004 (ACH-S, 06/04)

* Weight-age < -2 Z-scores
# Weight-age < -3 Z-scores

Anaemia was found to be a problem of high significance in children: about 50% of the children surveyed had anaemia (table 11). The youngest children were especially at risk. Among the 6-59 month olds who were anaemic, 3.6% had severe anaemia (Hb < 7 g/L). Vaccination against measles was 91.3%, and crude and under-five mortality rates were under-control: 0.3/10,000/day and 0.1/10,000/day, respectively. 45% of deaths among the over fives were due to violence.

6.2% of the families surveyed were displaced. About 61% of the resident families and 88% of the displaced families earned less than the national minimum wage. 37% of the displaced families had benefited from a nutritional programme or from humanitarian aid the year prior to the survey, whilst only 16% of the resident families had.