Conditions have continued to worsen here in Lowland Bolivia. While the Bolivian government issued a national state of emergency on Feb. 4th, very little of that aid is reaching the thousands of Tsimane' whose houses are flooded and crops destroyed. All communities downriver or north of Uvasichi are under water right now, including Campo Bello (one of the communities where I'm conducting my dissertation research). To help you get a sense of how widespread the flooding is, check out where Uvasichi is in relation to the two communities where we work and San Borja. Uvasichi is right at the turn in the river (if you look at it like an L). (Update: approximately 56 communities are now affected by the flooding, reaching as far as Yaranda and Cosincho upriver). Map credit: Universidad de Barcelona
Currently, all of the roads are under water as well and people are using canoes and boats on those roads, it's surreal. Being on the ground during a natural disaster in a country with poor infrastructure and among a population that is vulnerable with little in the way of resources to get out of harms way really opens your eyes to how rich conditions are in the US.
Please consider donating to this flood relief fund: https://fundly.com/tsimane-flood-relief-fund , especially if you've enjoyed reading about our adventures down here on our blog. Any bit helps, even $10 can buy a days worth of food or a mosquito net. Currently, there are 3 camps here in San Borja where Tsimane' are staying and this fund, coordinated by an anthropology team from University of Santa Barbra and Univ. of New Mexico that is helping evacuate Tsimane' from flooded communities, buy them mosquito nets, medicine, clothing, and food. We've been in talks with this team to help out as much as we can, dispensing aid while we're stuck in San Borja. Please share the link to the flood relief fund with friends.
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