But there is hope, in the form of fellow Warao people, like Lucetti, who are stepping up to help their community navigate the difficulties of an unfamiliar culture. When Warao families arrive in Manaus, she immediately swings into action, walking the new arrivals through the process of applying for asylum and ensuring they are able to access such basic services as health care and schooling. She often accompanies families to government offices or to the consulate to help them overcome bureaucratic hurdles. By Felipe Irnaldo and Jenny Barchfield. Full Text -> UNCHR

Versión en español ->

Sin embargo, personas como Lucetti encarnan la esperanza, ya que hacen lo posible por ayudar a la comunidad a sobrellevar las dificultades que supone una cultura que les resulta extraña. Cuando las familias warao llegan a Manaos, Lucetti entra en acción de inmediato: las guía y acompaña en el proceso de solicitud de asilo, y procura garantizar que tengan acceso a servicios básicos, como educación y atención médica. Con frecuencia, Lucetti acompaña a las familias al consulado o a las oficinas gubernamentales para ayudarlas a superar los obstáculos burocráticos. Texto Completo -> UNCHR

Hunger, economic collapse, repression and Covid-19: Venezuelans have seen just about everything over the last year. To millions of them, a safe harbor in another Latin American country was the only exit. The gun battles between security forces and guerrillas which forced at least 3,100 residents in the western state of Apure to flee over the border to Colombia in late March were only the latest example. Yet even such desperate escapes are looking more fraught as a continental backlash builds against the Western Hemisphere’s most castigated diaspora. By Mac Margolis. Full Text -> BloombergQuint.

Venezuelans have endured the largest refugee crisis in recent years, with nearly five million people fleeing from the country. However, amid the ongoing novel coronavirus crisis, approximately 130,000 Venezuelan refugees have attempted to return home to Venezuela due to worsening conditions in their new host countries.Venezuelan returnee facilities are overcrowded and face limited food, water and access to medical care,. These conditions are likely to promote the spread of the virus. Protesters against the poor living conditions have reportedly been jailed, a move which has further accelerated the pandemic’s growth. By Elizabeth Lee. Full Text _. BorgenMagazine

Those who arrive in Colombia today tend to be in even more dire circumstances than those who fled two years ago. Many Venezuelans are now arriving exhausted, weak and penniless, often with no option but to sleep on the streets or in bus terminals, where they are at even greater risk of exposure to COVID-19. By Ángela Méndez-Triviño and Olga Sarrado. Full Text -> UNHCR

More than 60 countries on Tuesday pledged some $3.4 billion in emergency aid for five million Venezuelans who have fled the country to neighbouring South American nations to escape economic collapse under President Nicolas Maduro. By Robin Emmott. Full Text -> Reuters

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is deeply concerned about fuel shortages and mandatory quarantines in Venezuela due to their potential and already realized impacts on hunger and social unrest across the country. Reports of children starving and continuing to beg on the streets are not new, but are increasingly evident in this time. And with strict quarantine measures, social unrest is inevitable. Full text-> ReliefWeb

An advocacy group in Ecuador has created a fund to help LGBTQ people and Venezuelan refugees in the country during the coronavirus pandemic. Diálogo Diverso describes its Solidarity for Diversity campaign as an “emergency fund” to support LGBTQ Ecuadorians and Venezuelan refugees who live in the country’s capital of Quito and in the cities of Guayaquil and Manta. Full Text -> Blade

This figure represents the sum of Venezuelan migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers reported by host governments. It does not necessarily imply individual identification, nor registration of each individual, and may include a degree of estimation, as per each government’s statistical data processing methodology. As numerous government sources do not account for Venezuelans without a regular status, the total number of Venezuelans is likely to be higher. Full text-> R4V