Colombia Earthquake

Recovering from the devastating earthquake that hit Colombia earlier this month will be particularly challenging for Choco, a remote region that has long struggled with high poverty rates, poor infrastructure and underfunded health and education services. According to the U.N. humanitarian agency, 69,000 people in Choco were affected or displaced by the earthquake. That's about 10% of the region’s population. The regional government says that the earthquake damaged more than 200 schools, and poor internet access will make it difficult for children to take online lessons. With around 600,000 inhabitants, most of them Afro-Colombian or Indigenous people, Choco has long been one of Colombia’s most neglected regions.