Colombia

Active in Colombia since 1998, Action Against Hunger has worked with vulnerable communities displaced by conflict and political instability, as well as those affected by frequent natural disasters, such as recurring floods. Our long-standing activities in nutrition and health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and longer-term food security have provided life-sustaining support for tens of thousands of Colombians faced with humanitarian challenges.

Official data indicates the presence of more than one million Venezuelans to date, although, according to some estimates, the actual figure could be double that amount. Half of the migrants are in bordering departments (La Guajira, Cesar, North Santander, Arauca, Vichada and Guainía), which are characterized by extreme poverty rates well above the national level and a highly deficient access to basic services.

Another fraction of the migrants arriving in Colombia are based in cities such as Bogotá, living on the streets or in informal settlements with little access to services. Migrants who pass through Colombian territory in order to reach other countries face the risk of being victims of armed groups operating in the south of the country (trafficking, forced recruitment). The migration crisis has relegating the humanitarian effects of the armed conflict and violence, which continues to escalate in the country, to a secondary concern.

Our food security, nutrition and health programs provide a range of needed services, such as emergency food distributions, supplementary nutritional support for children, training and technical assistance in bolstering production and marketing, and support for rural health posts. Our teams are committed to continuing to assist Colombia’s vulnerable communities in their quest for improved nutrition and self-sufficiency.

In 2018, we focused on the urgent humanitarian response in the north of the country, as well as the analysis of the situation in host cities such as Bogotá, Barranquilla and Cartagena. We monitor nutrition, provide assistance through cash, improve access to safe water and decent livelihoods, both for the host communities and for migrants.