 WHAT’S HAPPENING? More than 5 million people have left Venezuela since 2015. The number of people fleeing Venezuela is second only to the number fleeing Syria. Despite this, Venezuelans have not received the same aid or attention as refugees elsewhere. WHY ARE VENEZUELANS LEAVING THEIR COUNTRY? Venezuelans are leaving due to social, political, and economic unrest. The political crisis of President Nicolás Maduro's government has led to hyperinflation, low wages, food insecurity, and a rise in violence. It is nearly impossible to feel safe or find food in many communities. WHERE ARE PEOPLE GOING? The vast majority stay in Latin America. Colombia, which shares a border with Venezuela, has taken in the most refugees (1.8 million), followed by Peru (853,400) [source]. WHAT ARE THE CONDITIONS IN COLOMBIA WITH COVID? Colombia has established Venezuelan refugees' rights to COVID-19 testing and treatment. But access to healthcare remains precarious. Venezuelans are often denied entry to hospitals and health centers. Few have been tested. Most fear tests will be used to deport them. LEARN MORE WATCH: The Humanitarian Crisis in Venezuela | TEDx → https://bit.ly/TEDxVZCrisis READ: Understanding the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis | Wilson Center → https://bit.ly/VZread1 Venezuela’s refugee crisis: Views from the border | Brookings → https://bit.ly/VZread2 How COVID Threatens Venezuelans in Colombia | Refugee Intl → https://bit.ly/VZread3 TWO WAYS YOU CAN SUPPORT 1) Share this PDF on social media and tag us! Facebook: @emergenthorizonsorg Twitter: @Emerg_Horizons Insta: @emergenthorizons 
2) Sign up here to support with monthly direct giving, no amount too modest. It all matters. HOW WE ARE WORKING TO SUPPORT VENEZUELAN REFUGEES: Our partner organization Fundacion Colombia Nuevos Horizontes is working hard to be part of the solution for Venezuelan refugees on the ground in Colombia. They provide temporary lodging, three hot meals a day, social work and mental health services, and work with great personal, human care to empower people who are forced into a refugee situation to have skills, tools, and support they need to move forward in their new life, at their own pace. Supporting the overhead costs that the Foundation incurs has a direct impact in the lives of people who have fled their homes in Venezuela. It enables Marino Rivera, the director, to invest his time in supporting people, and growing the program, rather than hustling constantly to simply cover rent (read more about the cycle of poverty and the mental toll of all people facing economic scarcity here; numerous studies show that simply providing cash resources markedly improves quality of life). The foundation, still also supports the people it was initially designed to support: internally displaced Colombian people, who have been displaced due to violence or other economic or social conditions.
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 Emergent Horizons stands in solidarity with protesters in the United States and around the world in their demands for racial justice and with the Movement for Black Lives. We support their calls to end police and state-sanctioned violence, and justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Nina Pop, David McAtee, James Scurlock, Jamel Floyd, and too many others. As expressions of solidarity multiply around the world, we are reminded that the fight against white supremacy must be fought globally.
While we continue to deepen our understanding, the assertion Black Lives Matter informs the intersectional approach to our work with refugee communities worldwide. We will continue our mission to collect and distribute resources to those directly impacted by oppression, and to learn with others about the systems of oppression that affect the African diaspora and at home. To assert that Black Lives Matter is to take a stand against the histories of settler colonialism and imperial dispossession that continue to shape our lives and the lives of millions of others. We encourage those seeking to learn, reflect, and act to seek out resources for anti-racism including:
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