Bolivia - Low Wages Leave Bolivians Starving Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 10:49:01 -0700 Perhaps we should get the IMF and Bechtel into Bolivia so that the water system can be privatized. That way the masses of poor won't be able to afford to boil their gruel and will just starve; eliminating the need for extra calories to sustain their lives. RR __________________ Low Wages Leave Bolivians Starving: Many Families Unable To Afford Healthy Diet by Nick Bostock BOLIVIAN TIMES Weekly Newspaper, Internet Edition Thursday, October 19, 2000 Vol. viii No. 42 http://www.latinwide.com/boltimes/current/index.html Low wages continue to leave Bolivians suffering from alarming levels of malnutrition, with 94% of households in rural areas unable to fulfill basic nutritional requirements, according to figures released by the World Food Program this week. World Bank figures released last month placed Bolivia 134th in a world league table based on average levels of income per capita, estimated to be $1,010 per year. Citizens of neighboring nations are considerably better off per capita than Bolivians, with the average income in Argentina, the wealthiest of its neighbors, at $7,600. Even the average income in Peru, the poorest of any country bordering Bolivia, is over double the Bolivian average, at $2,390. The World Food Program (WFP), a United Nations subsidiary, was founded in 1963 with the goal of eradicating hunger and poverty across the world. The organization is currently the largest food aid supplier in the world - in 1999, it provided aid to over 89 million people in 82 different countries, the majority of whom were refugees or people displaced within their own countries. Aid is focused primarily on the groups that suffer most from hunger - children, women, and specific ethnic groups having been identified as those most in need. There are two main methods of aid delivery practiced by the WFP, depending on the severity of the difficulties in the country concerned. In times of crisis, the group provides food aid, while in times of chronic hunger, it provides aid in a way that allows the individual to begin to be self-sufficient. WFP in Bolivia WFP first became involved in Bolivia in 1964, when it organized a human settlement project. Since that time, it has contributed a total of $179 million to food aid in the country, through a total of 24 projects involving agriculture, education and health, as well as contributions made during times of crisis. The aim for the country, according to a report released by the group, is for "all Bolivians to have access at all times to sufficient food of sufficient quality to ensure a healthy life." However, it seems that the task has been a difficult one, with Bolivians still facing, in some cases, extreme difficulties despite the long period of involvement of the WFP. Bolivian statistics The WFP has confirmed a number of alarming statistics about Bolivia. There is a 6% deficit nationally in terms of the amount of food available compared to the necessary amount of food in terms of nutritional value. 82% of the food that is available in the country is produced within Bolivia, with the rest coming from imports and donations. Only 12% of families consume 2,250 calories daily per person, thought to represent the bare minimum energy requirement. In 1992, 2.9 million people in Bolivia, or 40% of the national population, were suffering from malnutrition, a figure that dropped to 1.8 million, or 23% of the population, by 1997. 26.8% of children under five years old suffer from chronic malnutrition, a status developed through the course of a child's nutritional history. 1.3% suffer from acute malnutrition, based on the ratio of height to weight and current eating habits; a further 7.6% suffer from general malnutrition, based on information about current and past dietary habits. For children under the age of three, the picture is similar - 25.6% suffer >from chronic malnutrition, 1.8% from acute malnutrition, and 9.5% from general malnutrition. During 1998, 28% of pregnant women suffered anaemia as a result of nutritional deficiencies, as did 34.7% of schoolchildren between eight and 10 years old, 66.8% of children under the age of three, 55.6% of children under five and 27.1% of women of child bearing age. Nine out of 10 rural homes in Bolivia are categorized as poor, as they are considered unable to satisfy basic needs. A quarter of urban households and half of rural homes do not bring in sufficient income to afford the basic necessary range of food. In addition to this, WFP research shows that eating habits among Bolivians are adding to the problem - people tend to prefer a basic diet with a lower calorie content than a range of food they could purchase for the same price. With limited access to health services and basic sanitation, which affect levels of health nationwide, people are less able to make the most of the food they choose to eat. Malnutrition Malnutrition occurs with the highest frequency in areas such as the high valleys of Cochabamba, the north of Potosí and around the center of the Chuquisaca department. Approximately 500,000 people live in areas extremely prone to food shortages, while a further 900,000 live in high risk areas. Altiplano dwellers show the highest levels of malnutrition of all, with 62.5% of those living in urban areas suffering from anaemia due to malnutrition, and 50.4% of those in rural areas. Despite huge investment of funding and long-term involvement, it seems clear that the WFP has been swimming against the tide in Bolivia, and that hunger will continue as long as economic difficulties remain unresolved. this website was created by http://www.LatinWide.com E-mail : info@LatinWide.com