Today, the United States announced an additional $18.5 million in bilateral funding to support displaced Venezuelans in Colombia who have fled the crisis in their country. The United States is coordinating with the Government of Colombia to respond rapidly to the needs of Venezuelans, Colombians, and others who have fled Venezuela, while continuing to move forward with critical long-term peace accord implementation efforts. Subject to Congressional approval, with this new funding, USAID will support the Government of Colombia with these initiatives:

• School feeding programs for children in communities most impacted by the influx.
• Mobile health services that will help provide vital healthcare for underserved populations.
• A registry system, launched in April 2018, which helps the Government of Colombia make informed and timely decisions related to Venezuelans seeking assistance, particularly children, youth, and other vulnerable groups at risk of exploitation and recruitment by criminal organizations.
• New and improved efforts to collect and analyze data in border and destination cities, which is crucial to understanding trends and reporting on progress of efforts to help Venezuelans and the Colombian communities hosting them.

This new funding is in addition to the more than $21 million in humanitarian assistance the United States has provided since 2017 for Venezuelans who have fled their country and for the neighboring communities hosting them.