Hope For Venezuelan Refugees, Cucuta - Pamplona

 

Hope For Venezuelan Refugees - Houston, June 16, 2021

I am humbled and honored by the opportunity to lead the implementation of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project in representation of the Rotary E-Club of Houston International Service Committee since August 2018.

The Venezuelan complex humanitarian crisis has aggravated the food insecurity and hunger affecting thousands of Venezuelan refugees, migrants, and walkers “caminantes” in Colombia and the region. A fellow from the Rotary e-Club of Houston, Isis Mejias, and I Cristal Montañéz decided to take action to respond to the food insecurity and created the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project to help alleviate hunger affecting the Venezuelan refugees in the cities of Cúcuta and Pamplona in Colombia.

In August 2018, I traveled to Colombia representing the Rotary e-Club of Houston for an on-site assessment of the refugee crisis in the border city of Cúcuta. The Rotary Club of Cúcuta facilitated the first of many meetings with the Food Bank of the Diocese of Cúcuta, food distribution centers and shelters coordinators, volunteers, local and international organizations, and logistic partners. After this first meeting, I realized how the years of humanitarian work experience in Pakistan prepared me to lead the project to help Venezuelan refugees in Colombia. Hope For Venezuelan Refugees is a partnership between the Rotary e-Club of Houston, the Rotary Club of Cúcuta, Rise Against Hunger (RAH), contributing Rotary Clubs, individuals, and an extraordinary team of dedicated volunteers.

The first container filled with Rise Against Hunger meals arrived in December 2018. The distribution to the food distribution centers and shelters serving this refugee population in Cúcuta and Pamplona began in January 2019. At that point, we also procured and distributed locally produced commodities to complement the RAH meals add local flavor, stimulate the local economy, and help decrease xenophobia toward migrants.

When the COVID-19 hit in 2020, the shelters in Colombia were closed following government protocols to prevent the spread of the virus. However, Venezuelans continued to escape from the lack of food and violence despite the global pandemic. In May 2020, our team initiated a campaign to help prevent the propagation of COVID-19 among the volunteers and the refugees, including the distribution of hot meals in disposable containers to the refugees in transit. We also distributed personal protection equipment, portable handwash stations, thousands of face masks, and disinfectant supplies.

During Phases 1- 4, more than 859,000 meals were distributed from January 2019 until March 2021 when our international cooperation contract with Rise Against Hunger ended. I had the privilege to work hand-on-hand and to lead the team of Rotarians, organizations, and volunteers who contributed 265,011 volunteer hours to our project.

Currently, the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Team in Colombia and I, in partnership with United4Change Center, Rotary Action Group for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration, the Rotary Club of Washington Global, and Rotary Fellowship for Global Development (in formation) are raising funds and implementing Phase 5 of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees “Soup Meal” Program, an emergency response effort to provide refugees, migrants and caminantes with hope and the fundamental human right of access to food.

Contributing Rotary Clubs: Chanhassen Rotary Foundation/Rotary Club Chanhassen, Global, Rotary Fellowship for Global Development (in formation), RAG for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration, Rotary Club of Washington Global, Rotary Fellowship for Global Development (in formation), Rotary of Club Humble, Rotary Club of Brazosport, Rotary Club of El Campo, Rotary Club of Highlands, Rotary Club of Baytown, Rotary Club of Gulfway Hobby, Rotary Club of Katy, Rotary Club of West University, Rotary Club of Memorial Spring Branch, Rotary Club of El Paso Camino Real, Rotary Club of Calgary, Rotary Club of Somerset, Perrysburg Rotary Club/Perrysburg Rotary Service Foundation, Downtown Rotary Club of Houston, Rotary Club of Humble, Rotary Club Karlovac-Dubovac, Rotary Club of Cúcuta, and Rotary e-Club of Houston.

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