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Venezuela Migration Crisis: Fast Facts

The ongoing turmoil in Venezuela has caused migration rates to spike as people seek relief from crippling hyperinflation, electricity shortages, and food insecurity. Here’s what you need to know about the worsening crisis and how you can support community-focused organizations responding in Venezuela and beyond.


 

1. According to the UN, this mass exodus is the “largest in the recent history of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

As of May 2019, over 3.7 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have left their country. Out of desperation to flee the dire food insecurity and political upheaval that began in 2015, families and individuals sometimes walk for days to reach safe neighboring countries. In 2018 alone, more than 254,000 Venezuelans filed asylum claims.

Source: UNHCR Report

2. Neighboring countries have welcomed fleeing Venezuelans, but due to funding constraints, governments are beginning to crack down on migration.

Peru recently announced a reform to its immigration system, making it mandatory for all incoming Venezuelans to carry valid passports and visas as of June 15. However, the hyperinflation of the bolívar currency has made it increasingly difficult to afford a costly passport. Earlier this summer, thousands of desperate Venezuelans rushed to Peru’s borders to be processed as migrants ahead of the June deadline.
Source: Reuters

3. Colombia currently has the largest Venezuelan migrant population, with 1.1 million individuals spread throughout UN tent camps and the rest of the country.

Bordering Venezuela from the West, Colombia has taken in the greatest number of migrants thus far. Peru and Chile are among other countries that have taken in a significant number of individuals , with 768,000 new arrivals in Peru and Chile recently receiving 288,000 Venezuelan migrants.
Source: Council on Foreign Relations

4. GlobalGiving’s partners are working to meet migrants’ basic needs, address potential gaps in education, and to provide the necessary resources for community integration.

GlobalGiving is working with longstanding partners in Venezuela’s neighboring countries to address migrants’ most pressing needs. For example, Fundación Interpretalab has launched an app that delivers important information regarding the migration process to migrants arriving in Chile. Another organization, World Central Kitchen, is providing nutritious meals to Venezuelans on the Colombian border. IsraAID is also responding to the psychosocial needs of these displaced persons and fosters connections between new arrivals and the host communities in Barranquilla, Colombia.
Source: GlobalGiving

5. Donating cash is the best way to help Venezuelans fleeing instability.

In times of crisis, survivors often have a variety of needs that shift as the situation develops. When you give cash, you ensure that your donation will directly contribute to the changing needs of Venezuelan migrants and the affected communities.
Source: GlobalGiving

Donate to organizations supporting those impacted by the Venezuela migrant crisis.

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Featured Photo: Provide meals for Venezuelan refugees in Colombia by World Central Kitchen

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