United States help Paraguayans with food donation
Humanitarian Assistance due to severe drought in the Chaco

Initially, USAID/OFDA planned the use of the donation of U$ 50,000 to help 550 families of indigenous communities in the department of Boqueron with food rations.  But thanks to coordination with the Secretary of National Emergencies (SEN) that also supported the operation and provided funding for the transportation of the food kits from Asuncion to the communities, our partner, the Paraguayan Red Cross was able to increase the number of beneficiaries to about 200 families, thus making a total of 769 indigenous families to be benefited through these funds.

The food packages distributed correspond to what in the Red Cross- Sphere Project is called "supplementary ration”, this is a 47 kilos ration of food for a family of 6 people. Each kit includes 7 items : rice, wheat, cooking oil, beans, salt, sugar, and yerba.

Benefiting communities

A total of 769 indigenous families received the donation, making a total of 3792 people, totaling 36,143 kilos of food delivered in 19 (nineteen) communities in the area of the municipality of Sanga Yalve Loma Plata, (Boqueron Department)  of which 5 (five) are communities from the  ethnic “Nivacle” and 14 (fourteen) from the ethnic “Lengua”.

Coordination with the National Emergency Secretariat (SEN)

The National Emergency Secretariat (SEN) provided logistical support for the mobilization of 5 (five) trucks to transport the kits to the communities, from Asunción to Chaco – Boqueron, approximately 400 kilometers.  The value of transportation expenses paid by SEN was approximately Guaranies 10,000,000 (circa 2,500 U$). Thanks to this cooperation it was possible to increase the number of families to be benefited from the donation.

Source : USAID/Paraguay