According to the World Food Programme’s latest report on food insecurity in Colombia, 50% of La Guajira’s population is food insecure, with the province also bearing the highest rate of monetary poverty in the country – registering 67.4%.
Water is also a scarce resource in La Pista, as it is in much of La Guajira. Locals get their water supply – often untreated – from vendors who traverse the camp on donkeys, selling 200-litre buckets for a costly 8,000 pesos (about £1.50 or $1.80).
With limited state support and few places to turn to, locals have found solace in the work of local organisations like Hijos de La Guajira. The Maicao-based private non-profit has stepped in to carry out a role the Colombian authorities have failed to fulfil. The small NGO runs a communal food bank in La Pista where it offers daily lunches to approximately 350 children.
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