Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced approximately $1.8 million for awards under the BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge to benefit Venezuelans and their host communities in the Federative Republic of Brazil; the Republics of Colombia, Perú, and Trinidad and Tobago; and the Boliviarian Republic of Venezuela.  The awards will fund solutions that will increase access to jobs, education, and financial services, and combat exploitation and xenophobia.

• In Colombia, Brazil, and Perú, the social start-up Migraflix will scale up an innovative model to provide Venezuelan refugees and their host communities with training on entrepreneurial and technical skills to create culinary businesses online and provide access to microcredit, financial mentorships and connections with local markets.

• In Perú, the employment agency Nanas y Amas will use an online platform to connect vulnerable Venezuelan women with vetted employment opportunities with fair pay. 

• In Trinidad and Tobago, Democracy International will launch an innovative behavior-change program to reduce harassment and xenophobia that Venezuelan women face in everyday settings. 

• In Venezuela, with funds from USAID, a local organization will scale a hybrid online and in-person platform to support high-potential youth entrepreneurs from vulnerable backgrounds.  An additional awardee will provide high-speed Internet access to urban communities and enable new users to gain access to vital information for education and financial services.

The BetterTogether/JuntosEsMejor Challenge is a partnership between USAID and the IDB to crowdsource, fund, and scale up innovative solutions to support Venezuelans and the communities that are hosting them generously across Latin America and the Caribbean. 

For more information, visit  JuntosEsMejorVE.org.