United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Aid for Venezuelans in Colombia

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Fact Sheet

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, August 8, 2018

 
Today, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Nikki Haley announced nearly $9 million in additional humanitarian assistance to support Colombia's efforts to respond to an influx of people who have fled chaos and repression in Venezuela.

With this funding, the U.S. Government's humanitarian assistance for the regional response to the Venezuelan crisis now totals more than $46 million since Fiscal Year 2017.

These additional funds build on the United States' ongoing efforts to provide food, medical care, water, and other critical humanitarian aid in Colombia and throughout the region for vulnerable Venezuelans. With this new funding, the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is providing:

  • Clean drinking water, hygiene supplies, and sanitation services in Colombian towns along the border with Venezuela to prevent the spread of disease;
  • Cash assistance to help vulnerable Venezuelans and Colombians gain access to shelter, water, and sanitation and health care in Colombian border areas; and
  • Medicine for health facilities in Colombian host communities; In addition, USAID's partners are helping to operate primary health care clinics in six different Departments of Colombia that are receiving Venezuelan migrants.

To complement this humanitarian assistance, the United States Government has committed $23.5 million in bilateral economic and development funding to support Colombia's medium-and long-term efforts to respond to the influx of Venezuelans in Colombia.

Today's humanitarian aid announcement reflects the United States' commitment to help people who are escaping the crisis in Venezuela, and the communities in neighboring countries that are hosting them.