Colombia, home to nearly three million Venezuelan migrants as of February 2024, remains the largest host country in a displacement crisis second only to Syria. This crisis has forced 7.7 million people to flee Venezuela due to economic collapse, with many seeking refuge across South America. Additionally, Haitian migration, driven by poverty and violence following the 2010 earthquake, and Ecuadorian migration, fueled by economic challenges, continue to intensify regional migratory pressures. The Darién jungle, a perilous migration route, highlights the extreme vulnerabilities faced by migrants, including armed violence, disease, food scarcity, and hazardous conditions. In 2023, nearly 540,000 migrants crossed the Darién Gap, straining transit points like Turbo, Necoclí, and Acandí in Colombia—areas often controlled by armed groups exploiting the migration economy.
This unprecedented movement has overwhelmed local authorities and humanitarian organizations, which struggle to meet urgent needs for shelter, medical care, food, water, and health services. The lack of adequate resources and coordination exacerbates tensions within host communities and raises public safety concerns. Migrants, especially women and children, face heightened risks of violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking, and family separation. These vulnerabilities are further compounded by impunity, limited access to essential services, and insufficient legal documentation, leaving many exposed to abuse, malnutrition, and psychological trauma.
IELCO, with the support of ACT Forum Colombia, will directly implement a five-month RRF project to assist 1,000 families (approximately 4,000 migrants, an average of four members per family) by providing essential humanitarian services. The project will deliver comprehensive and centralized support for migrants in transit through the Urabá region (Necoclí, Turbo, Carepa, Chigorodó, and Apartadó). Key activities include the distribution of protection kits, hygiene kits, and meals, as well as awareness-raising sessions on water, sanitation, hygiene, and psychosocial support (PSS) sessions to address gender-based violence (GBV). Additionally, individual case management will provide temporary shelter, food, and transportation to the most vulnerable individuals requiring urgent assistance.
