Highlights
• In 2019, WFP scaled up its emergency response to the migration crisis reaching an average of 220,000 people per month through hot meals in community kitchens, unconditional vouchers, food kits for migrants in transit and emergency school meals.
• WFP is currently finalizing an Emergency Food Security Assessment (EFSA) and a market assessment to evaluate needs in urban and peri-urban areas of border departments and better tailor the emergency response.
Situation Update
• According to the latest estimates by UNHCR, over 4 million Venezuelans have left their country; however, given the difficulty to estimate irregular movements, the number could be higher.
• As per the latest figures issued by the Colombia migration authority (June 2019), over 1.4 million Venezuelans are currently in Colombia – this figure is expected to almost double by the end of the year. In addition, the country is also witnessing a considerable return of Colombians who had previously resided in Venezuela.
• WFP assists various migrants, including people with the intention to settle in the country, commuting migrants who frequently travel between Venezuela and Colombia to access basic services and migrants in transit who travel through Colombia (often on foot) to reach other destinations. People on the move include families with children, pregnant and lactating women and elderly.
WFP Response
• In coordination with the Government of Colombia, other UN agencies and partners, WFP is providing life-saving food assistance in five border departments: Arauca, Cesar, La Guajira, Norte de Santander bordering Venezuela, and Nariño bordering Ecuador.
• WFP assistance is targeting the most vulnerable populations who are food insecure or at high risk of food insecurity, including Venezuelan migrants and Colombian returnees. This includes migrant boys and girls attending schools in communities with a high prevalence of migrants, local communities hosting a significant number of migrants and 'walking migrants'.