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Two-Year Drought Ravages Colombian Wayuu Tribe (PHOTOS)

Colombia's Wayuu indigenous tribe has survived for centuries on the arid, desert-like La Guajira peninsula, which lies on the northernmost tip of South America. Over the last two years, drought has striken the area, causing starvation and poverty within the tribe, which has a population of about 600,000.

The nearby Rancheria River has run dry due to the drought as well as overuse. The El Cercado dam was built to improve water supply, but the resulting reservoir currently stands at 40 percent of its capacity according to The Guardian. Both the dam and the drought stop the river from entering the far reaches of Guajira, the place that the Wayuu call home.

"There is a lot of demand on the river and very littler control over how it's used," Octavio Calderon, an employee of the Provincial Potable Water Office, told the paper.

The drought causes crop failure, which in turn creates poverty and starvation. La Guajira has the highest malnutition rate in Columbia, AOL reported. The area saw 26 children die of malnutition in 2013, 48 in 2014, and 11 within the first six months of 2015, as reported by The Guardian.

Tribe member Gladis Fatima Castro recently lost her 14-year-old daughter to complications from malnutition. Castro, who has two surviving younger children, told The Associated Press that she didn't have the money to pay for her daugher's medical bills.

The Wayuu have supported themselves for centuries by harvesting salt in their desert home, but the job does not pay well. In addition, the people are forced to make money by selling handmade crafts and smuggled goods.

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