[ [link removed] ]Mercy Corps
Imagine you’re forced to flee your
home to save your family’s life. What would you do to help them survive?
That’s the question that millions of Venezuelan refugees are facing.
The collapse of Venezuela’s economy has resulted in rampant violence,
inflation, gang warfare, soaring crime rates, and shortages of food,
medicine, and essential services. Millions have fled, totaling nearly 8
million Venezuelans displaced globally.
Colombia is the host to the largest number of Venezuelan refugees. Do you
know how many? Take a guess at the question below.
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Below are the stories of Venezuelan refugees working to find ways to
support their families amid violence and displacement.
Karina
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
Karina and her children live on the beach after fleeing Venezuela and
searching for work in Colombia.
Karina (name changed for safety) fled from Venezuela with four of her
children. With little work available in Colombia, they’ve temporarily
settled in NecoclĂ, a small Colombian coastal town that has become a
significant transit point for refugees and migrants.
Their journey isn’t easy: Karina and her children will need to take a boat
to Panama and then travel on foot for several days. The trek is dangerous
with treacherous terrain, exposure to disease, and violence at the hands
of criminal groups.
Until then, the family is living on the beach with little shelter. Mercy
Corps is partnering with local organizations to provide essential
services, like legal assistance, psychosocial support, gender-based
violence prevention, livelihood opportunities, and financial inclusion for
Venezuelan refugees.
Emely
[ [link removed] ][IMG]
As the pandemic hit, Emely struggled to find work in Colombia to support
her son.
Emely (name changed for safety) and her young son lived with Emely’s
mother nearly their entire lives. But as Venezuela's economy became
increasingly volatile, Emely struggled to provide financially and was no
longer able to buy life-saving medication for her son’s severe medical
condition.
She searched for work in Colombia, but when she couldn’t find any, she
spent two years in sex work to save the money she needed to bring her son
to the neighboring country. Mercy Corps assisted with his medical
condition, providing care on eight occasions over the course of a few
months.
"When you first arrive as an immigrant to any country, you don’t have
access to anything, sometimes people are even mean, you don’t have access
to healthcare and if you get sick, what do you do?" Emely says.
Emely is now trying to save money by working hotel and house cleaning
jobs, with hopes of eventually reuniting with her family.
Karina and Emely’s
stories show the impossible choices parents must make to survive and build
a better life for their children.
Mercy Corps is committed to helping families in crisis in Colombia,
Ukraine, Sudan, and around the world find a path to a brighter tomorrow.
But we can’t do it alone — your support is vital to helping people cope,
adapt, and thrive in the face of conflict, disaster, and poverty.
Thank you for being by our side,
The Mercy Corps team
[ [link removed] ]DONATE
[ Facebook ]Facebook [ Twitter ]Twitter [ Instagram ]Instagram [ LinkedIn ]LinkedIn [ YouTube ]YouTube
[ [link removed] ]mercycorps.org | [ tel:+18887477440 ](888) 747‑7440 | Portland, OR
Mercy Corps, Dept. W, National Processing Center
P.O. Box 37800, Boone, IA 50037-4800
[ 86% ]86% [ Charity ]Charity Navigator [ Platinum ]Platinum Transparency [ Charity ]Charity
Watch Top Rated
© 2025 [ [link removed] ]Mercy Corps
[ [link removed] ]Privacy Policy | [ [link removed] ]Manage Preferences | [ [link removed] ]Unsubscribe
You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]
