The risk of child recruitment by armed groups increased in Colombia after the earthquake

The earthquake damaged more than 3,800 educational facilities and affected the education of more than one million students. Nearly 178,000 attended schools that suffered serious structural damage.

UN Resident Coordinator in Colombia María José Torres Macho said recruitment was already a concern in the regions before the disaster, where illegal armed groups were still active.

“We are concerned that the situation of out-of-school children could exacerbate this problem,” he told reporters at UN Headquarters.

In Chocó, some rural schools were completely destroyed, others partially collapsed, and others remain at risk of destruction. Assessments are also continuing in Risaralda and Caldas to determine which schools can safely reopen.

For the UN, restoring access to education is a priority not only to ensure learning can continue, but also to return children to safe environments.

State of emergency in conflict-affected areas

The 7.4 magnitude earthquake on August 10 left 331 people dead, 4,449 people injured and 219 people missing. More than 406,000 people were affected in 15 departments and 496 cities.

Many of the worst-affected regions already face high levels of poverty, isolation and armed violence.

“The most impacted areas are the most vulnerable areas,” he said, adding that pre-existing conflict creates challenges for both emergency response and recovery.

Assess needs

In Chocó, the UN still does not have complete information about the needs of some rural communities, especially Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities. Road damage, difficulty traveling along rivers, and electricity and connectivity problems hampered the assessment process and distribution of aid.

Displacement due to conflict also continues along with the earthquake response. In Sipí, Chocó, around 95 Afro-Colombians were displaced from the community of Charco Hondo, with concerns that the displacement could spread to two neighboring communities.

Ms. Torres Macho also highlighted the role of local governments and indigenous and Afro-Colombian organizations, which are groups providing first aid in some of the most remote areas. At the same time, he warned that some cities 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 towns in Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda and Caldas with food, water, medical care, medicine, shelter, psychosocial support, protection and educational services.

Watch the full press conference here:

Response amidst lack of funds

After the earthquake, the UN updated its humanitarian response plan and estimated that 1.2 million people needed assistance. Within that group, around 127,000 people have been identified as the most severely affected and in need of priority support, said Ms Torres Macho.

The response required $148.1 million, he said, but only 40 percent had been received.

Among the most pressing needs are shelter, medical care, medicine, clean water, education and support to restore livelihoods.

Supply shortages arise

In some places, available supplies are starting to run out. In Caldas, for example, food distribution and hygiene depend in part on donations, but these supplies are running low, and there is not enough capacity to continue the next round of aid.

Problems also still occur in temporary shelters. Among those assessed in Chocó, Risaralda, Valle del Cauca and Caldas, 33 percent had sanitation and hygiene needs, 31 percent faced problems in accessing water and 22 percent needed food.

Mrs. Torres Macho said the response also needed to be carried out quickly towards recovery and reconstruction, especially in communities that were already vulnerable before the earthquake.

“It is also important to provide support to municipal governments, so that there is urban planning and we do not reproduce vulnerabilities and end up creating another disaster.”