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Quito, Ecuador, March 4, 2022 —  The ̽����ѡ (̽����ѡ) announced the expansion of its current response in Ecuador to support Venezuelan and families affected by the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains in Quito in early February.

According to city officials, , around 50 people were injured, at least one person is still missing and the homes of approximately 107 families were destroyed completely or suffered extreme damage. The communities of La Gasca and Comuna—which were particularly affected by this disaster—are places where Venezuelans have resettled over the last years.

Marianne Menjivar, the ̽����ѡ's Director for the Venezuela response, said:

“More than 400,000 Venezuelans have arrived in Ecuador in recent years, after having to leave their home country. Even after arriving in neighboring countries, life continues to be extremely difficult for them. Venezuelans encounter xenophobia and barriers in access to regularization and protection systems, which become obstacles to access a formal job to cover their most basic needs (including housing) and even puts them at risk of exploitation.

“When natural disasters hit, they disproportionately affect low-income communities, in this case including Venezuelan families. With already overstretched national systems, it is essential to guarantee international funding to continue responding to the most urgent humanitarian needs of Venezuelans, including those caused by the impact of climate change.”

The ̽����ѡ worked closely with Ecuador’s authorities and local partners to ensure a swift and effective response. After assessing the damaged areas, the ̽����ѡ is deploying the following resources to support 200 Venezuelan and Ecuadorian families who had their homes shattered or whose relatives were affected in different ways:

• Cash assistance for families to cover basic needs, including food, medicine, funeral costs and home repairs related to damages caused by the heavy rains. 
• Economic support to Chamos, a local NGO that provides free health care and education to Venezuelan communities. Chamos’ premises were directly affected by the landslides and at the time of the emergency lacked the resources needed to provide emergency care to communities. 

As part of its long-standing response to the Venezuela crisis, the ̽����ѡ launched operations in Ecuador in 2021 to support Venezuelans holistically and timely where they need it the most, including access to:

• Multipurpose cash transfers paired with financial education and security training.
• Food security, through the delivery of food kits for households and direct provision of warm meals at community dining rooms to combat hunger.
• Protection issues, including gender-based violence prevention and child protection activities as well as case management for vulnerable populations.
• Early childhood development, by creating safe spaces for children between 0 and 5 years, engaging educators and caregivers in the process.
• Health, reinforcing COVID-19 prevention measures through the delivery of personal protection equipment kits, which represent a high cost for vulnerable populations.

More on the ̽����ѡ’s response to the Venezuela crisis

The ̽����ѡ is on the ground delivering a collective response to support Venezuelans holistically—and timely—where they need most: implementing programming with a mixed model of partnerships with local organizations and direct implementation in Colombia, Ecuador and now in Peru, and providing support for vulnerable populations through local organizations in Venezuela. In 2020, the ̽����ѡ provided assistance for more than 87,000 Venezuelans.