Thousands of families from Venezuela who reach Maicao do it with very few means to survive if anything at all. Many of them have been living in the streets for months – in parking lots, under the city’s arcades or under self-made shelters – because the city’s shelter capacity is very limited.
With a population of around 100,000, Maicao currently hosts 30,000 refugees and migrants. An assessment conducted by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in February revealed that half of the 3,500 Venezuelans interviewed were living in the streets or in informal settlements in and around the city.
Refugees and migrants living in the streets of Maicao have little access to drinking water, bathrooms, shelter and other basic needs. They are also exposed to serious risks like human trafficking, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), labor exploitation and sexual exploitation.
At the end of 2018, Maicao’s local authorities and the Colombian government asked UNHCR for support to set up a temporary reception centre to help address the lack of accommodation for so many people in need.
The Integrated Assistance Centre, which opened its doors in early March, has an initial capacity to host 350 people. Women, children, elderly and other vulnerable people now have temporary access to shelter, food, water, basic medical care, and other services, such as legal orientation, psychosocial and child support.
Government agencies, international and national non-governmental organizations, as well as UN agencies such as the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization, are involved in the centre’s operations.
“The centre opened due to the critical situation in Maicao, especially the high number of people living in the streets,” says Federico Sersale, head of UNHCR’s office in La Guajira department. “It aims to address the extremely vulnerable conditions of Venezuelans for a limited period of time, helping them make the first step towards a more independent life and future community integration.”
The humanitarian needs have overwhelmed the Colombia’s reception capacity. UNHCR is working to strengthen shelter networks, provide legal counseling and facilitate access to food, water, education and health services to people in dire need.
Original source: UNHCR
Published on 15 April 2019
