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Add to Preferred SourcesHundreds of thousands of children, women, and men seek safety and security over the border.
The shelter has become a lifeline for many and is one example of the kinds of responses that governments, NGOs and others throughout the region have put in place to meet the basic needs of Venezuelans who have left their homeland.
As it is doing in Maicao, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is supporting partners and local governments across Colombia and throughout the region to address the growing needs of Venezuelans on the move. Projects range from outfitting food kitchens and temporary shelters to bolstering the resources of hospitals and supporting childcare facilities.
UNHCR is also helping identify those individuals within the larger movement of Venezuelans who are in need of international protection and making sure they understand their options to obtain legal status in countries where they are.
“Even though most refugees and migrants have urgent humanitarian needs such as protection, food and shelter, being able to have a regular status in Colombia is a priority,” said Jozef Merkx, UNHCR representative for Colombia, a country of some 45 million, which is hosting an estimated one million Venezuelans.
An estimated 1.9 million Venezuelans have been compelled to leave their country since 2015, a significant number of whom are in need of international protection.
The growing numbers of Venezuelans leaving their country has led to a surge in the demand for shelter in Maicao during the first eight months of the year, according to Jheimmy Naizzir, the shelter coordinator. From January to August the centre housed 3,008 people, compared to 1,327 in all of 2017. With support from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, the centre is expanding its bed capacity and adding a playroom for children, as well as improving its daily meal distribution.
More than 346,000 Venezuelans have requested refugee status in countries throughout Latin America as well as in Europe and the United States since 2014. Twice that many have been granted other forms of stay, which allow Venezuelans to reside in other countries, with access to work and social services.
In Colombia, this took the form of a nationwide census of Venezuelans living in the country. The more than 442,000 Venezuelans registered in the process, supported by UNHCR and IOM, are now in the process of receiving a special permit that allows them to work legally and access basic services for two years.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 5 October 2018