International Donors Conference in solidarity with Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants

On 26 May, the international community gathered again to show solidarity with millions of Venezuelan refugees and migrants who have had to flee their country in order to find refuge abroad, especially in the neighbouring countries including Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. The Covid-19 pandemic has only aggravated their already dire situation, and their access to health services, water and sanitation, education, housing and a decent social and economic life. The aim of this second International Conference has been to shine the spotlight on the increasing needs of all these Venezuelans who seek protection, and for whom the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic presents an additional challenge of unpredictable magnitude. Our mission only starts now.

The Education and Human Mobility Working Group and the Regional Office of Education for Latin America and the Caribbean (OREALC/UNESCO Santiago) call on the countries of the region to not forget the spirit of the 2030 Agenda: “leaving no one behind". Specifically, to not exclude people in situations of mobility within the emergency educational responses that are implemented in the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peru is hosting some 865,000 Venezuelans, and is the second largest recipient of migrants from that country and the one that has received the largest number of applications for refugee status from Venezuelan citizens in the world.

From the onset of the crisis, the United Nations World Food Programme has assisted 1.5 million migrants in Arauca, Atlántico, Cesar, La Guajira, Magdalena, Nariño and Norte de Santander. During the first quarter of 2020, WFP provided assistance to approximately 300,000 migrants and members of host communities per month. This, thanks to the support of its partners and donors as well as to the collaborative work with national institutions at the central and local levels.

The situation of Venezuelan refugee and migrant families that were in a fragile situation before the pandemic is now aggravated by their loss of employment, difficulties in accessing emergency services and benefits, and lack a of access to healthcare systems.

A project for local/urban integration of Venezuelan refugees and migrants into their host communities

Imagine walking the distance of Paris to Budapest with no food, money or decent shoes. Millions of Venezuelan migrants and refugees have to do it to flee poverty and hunger.

A series of 5 videos displaying the living conditions, the dreams, and the stories of Venezuelans refugees and the support that UNHCR and the EU are providing to them.

¿Cómo manejar la respuesta local dentro de la emergencia humanitaria?

Nos envían fotos y mensajes de su día a día tras la declaratoria de emergencia sanitaria.

En Soacha, a las afueras de Bogotá, Colombia, la crisis de la COVID-19 ha dejado sin ingresos a la población local y migrante.

RET’s COVID-19 Regional Response in Latin America and the Caribbean

Caminantes venezolanos dejan mensajes de amor y esperanza en una pared para aliviar a los recién llegados a una casa de acogida.

WFP distribuye kits de alimentos entre los grupos transgéneros para paliar el impacto socioeconómico de la COVID-19

Mientras estamos en tiempos difíciles, hay historias que inspiran y te sacan una sonrisa. Esta es la historia de niñas y niños migrantes que viven juntos el aislamiento en Riohacha, La Guajira.

The consequences of coronavirus are taking a huge toll on the mental health of refugees, displaced and stateless people, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is warning today.

Early in March, before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Samuel Suárez was already giving at-risk Ecuadorians in rural areas lifesaving tips to avoid infection.

COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have taken a heavy toll on Venezuelan refugees and migrants, many of whom were barely scraping by even before the pandemic hit.

Entrega de kits alimentos y aseo personal –Programa SI FRONTERA: “Soy ama de casa, mi esposo se ha quedado desempleado y gracias a esta ayuda hemos podido solventar los alimentos del día para nosotros y mis hijos/as”.

News of the COVID-19 pandemic had not reached Horihanny Del Valle, a pregnant 16-year-old migrant from Venezuela, until a few weeks ago, when she heard about the coronavirus from friends. “I saw people talking about and it scared me,” she recalled.

Amid the crisis due to coronavirus, UN Volunteers have adapted their work to keep serving the communities. For UN Volunteers, this pandemic is an example that Venezuelans and internally displaced persons of concern need accurate orientation, now more than ever.

Victoria*, 14, recently completed a 1200-mile journey to Ecuador from her hometown in Venezuela. She wanted to escape the socio-economic situation in her homeland and make a new life across the border. But getting to Ecuador was not easy. In fact, the difficulties arose from the first moment she left her country.

En el mes de diciembre se conmemoran el Día Mundial del Sida (1ro de diciembre) y el Día Internacional del Migrante (18 de diciembre). Ambas fechas nos convocan a mirar con atención la situación de los flujos mixtos que salen de Venezuela y que representan la mayor movilización de personas de la historia de Latinoamerica y el Caribe: hay más de 4,8 millones de personas refugiadas y migrantes venezolanas en todo el mundo, de los cuales 3,9 millones se encuentra en países de la región.

“Aquí no tenemos casa, familia, ni derechos. Nos desalojaron y nos quedamos sin ningún tipo de ayuda. Lo único que queremos es regresar con nuestras familias y salir adelante en nuestro país Venezuela, aquí cada día estamos peor” dijeron migrantes venezolanos a NRC en Bogotá, la capital de Colombia.

“Esta es la comida que pudimos compara con la ayuda que nos dieron. Estamos en tiempos difíciles y esto nos ayuda a no vivir tan apretados” dijo un hombre venezolano que se desplazó hasta Santa Marta en Colombia. Él y su familia pudieron acceder a la alimentación durante la cuarentena a través del apoyo económico de NRC.

After the border closure left thousands stranded, the IRC moved quickly to set up triage medical care, including testing and treatment for COVID-19.

Doctor Gerson Costa Filho left service in Basic Health Units (BHU) that were embedded in the communities of the northern region of Rio de Janeiro, where he worked for eight years, to dedicate himself to the health of refugees, migrants and the local community at the other end of the Brazil, in the state of Roraima. He joined the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Health team to reinforce local care at a city BHU.

“Con lo que recibimos no nos alcanza para comer, ni para el arriendo, para nada. Tenemos que dormir en la calle y exponernos al virus” Comenta José Gregorio uno de los cientos de miles de migrantes Venezolanos que vive en Ecuador. José es parte de la población que trabaja en el mercado informal vendiendo caramelos en las calles de Quito. Según la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) a finales de 2019 habían 330.000 venezolanos en este país.