Venezolanos por la Vida - Canadá -> gofundme

Venezolanos por la Vida-Caminantes ( donations)


On the side of the road that connects Colombia with Venezuela, the town of Cúcuta, the largest border town in Colombia, just a bridge away from Venezuela. You can find the “Caminantes”; individuals, families, single parents with kids and seniors that have left their hometowns in Venezuela because they can not afford or find enough food to feed their families or medicines to treat the sick. They traveled through Venezuela by bus for hours and cross the border into Colombia, heading for different towns in Colombia, or even as far as Ecuador or Peru. With limited resources they hike through the hills, including areas with freezing temperatures, that could take them up to 47 hours on foot. More than 200 Venezuelans a day who set out on foot from the border to try to reach a destination either in Colombia or elsewhere in the region.According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Venezuelans who leave here on foot are walking an average of 16 hours per day and expected to walk for about 13 days.Some left their children behind, few had enough resources to cover their journeys, many are not getting enough to eat, and more than 90 percent are sleeping in the streets. an image that reminds one of refugee camps in other parts of the world and is unprecedented in Latin America.The Colombian Red Cross has set up tents on the side of the road, where an average of 80 Venezuelans a day stop to drink water, eat cookies and rest but this is not enough.Despite the dramatic conditions they’re facing, most of the “Caminantes” consider that there are better off abroad than in Venezuela and that they are fleeing a humanitarian crisis, a ruthless government crackdown, violent crime, and hyperinflation.According to the UN over 2.3 million Venezuelans from the 32 million have left Venezuela since 2014.Colombia has received by far the largest number of Venezuelan immigrants worldwide, with over 1 million people arriving there from Venezuela since March 2017. The Colombian government has made enormous efforts to address an overwhelming situation, adopting measures to provide Venezuelans with legal status and access to urgent health care, and allowing Venezuelans to enroll their children in school. Other initiatives in coordination with UN agencies, local groups and the church provide services including meals, vaccinations, and shelter. However, many Venezuelans in Colombia who have not registered with the government still have an irregular status and face an array of difficulties.The Caminantes need our help!