In November last year, the EIB through the EIB Institute, donated EUR 250 000 to four NGOs to mitigate the humanitarian crisis in Colombia caused by the massive refugee influx from Venezuela.

This donation contributed to the emergency aid interventions of the beneficiary NGOs – Red Cross (Switzerland), Save the Children (Spain), SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde (Luxembourg) and Malteser International (Germany) – such as support for shelter and basic needs, health services, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, and child protection measures.

Thanks to the funds provided by the EIB, SOS Village d’Enfants was able to support close to 1 000 unaccompanied Venezuelan migrant children as well as children victim of abuse due to the crisis in the border towns of Santander and La Guajira. Click here for the report.

Save the Children supported close to 3 000 vulnerable children in La Guajira and Arauca through community mobilisation activities such as education kits or schools rehabilitation. Click here for the report.

Red Cross Switzerland set up four fixed health care units in Arauca, Narino, Vichada and La Guajira and provided 45 070 services as well as distributing water, food rations and bedding material kits. Click here for the report.

Malteser International organised and provided distribution of food and non-food items to 400 families in rural areas. Malteser’s medical team gave 3 368 free of charge consultations at a public hospital in Riohacha. In addition, 2 563 medical consultations were given by mobile health brigades. Click here for the report.

Colombia is the country most impacted by the outflow of refugees and migrants from Venezuela.

The number of Venezuelans seeking refuge in Colombia rose 2 500% between the end of 2015 and the end of 2018 from 39 000 to over 1 174 743.

An additional 250 000 Colombian returnees are estimated to have fled Venezuela, and pendular movements in the border area of Venezuelans crossing to obtain goods and services and then returning to Venezuela further adds to resource challenges.

UNHCR estimates that by the end of 2019, there will be over 2.2 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela in Colombia.

As part of its missions, the Institute makes grants for purposes of disaster relief.