The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, said on Wednesday that the onset of winter, along with the disastrous consequences of COVID-19, posed a direct threat to the health and livelihoods of Venezuelans stranded in southern Latin America.
Despite border controls, Venezuelans continue to travel along highways into Andean states and Brazil in search of safety and a place to call home. UNHCR is stepping up its efforts across the region to assist people in dealing with the impending winter.
In Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay, about two million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have settled. COVID-19 infection and fatality rates are among the highest in the world in certain of these countries.
Venezuelans have been mostly included in national health initiatives, but with hospitals at capacity, access to care for other illnesses, such as those connected with the winter season, has become increasingly difficult.
Thunderstorms, heavy rains, and below-freezing temperatures have already wreaked havoc on Chile’s central and southern regions. Nighttime temperatures are already well below freezing along Venezuela’s northern border, where Venezuelans come on foot without suitable clothes. The UNHCR is working to distribute 1,000 winter kits and 8,600 thermal blankets, as well as emergency shelter, cash support, and electronic vouchers for the purchase of heaters, fuel, and winter clothing.
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