Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Appeal

Since 2014, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has experienced a severe economic collapse triggering a prolonged, multifaceted crisis that continues to weaken essential services. Extremely high inflation has eroded household purchasing power, with the basic consumption basket reaching $772, while the official minimum wage remains below $1 – leaving families unable to afford food, healthcare and other essentials. 

Children in marginalized communities face multiple and worsening deprivations. The health system continues to deteriorate, disproportionately affecting maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health. The maternal mortality ratio stands at 227 deaths per 100,000 live births, neonatal mortality rate at 14 deaths per 1,000 live births, and under-five mortality rate at 22 per 1,000 live births – largely due to preventable causes. Immunization coverage remains below 72 per cent, and nearly 30 per cent of infants under 1 year of age are zero-dose. Malnutrition remains widespread: 11 percent of children under age 5 are affected by wasting and 24 per cent of women aged 15–49 are anaemic, posing significant health risks for women, adolescent girls and children. The collapse of WASH services heightens health risks, leaving 5.2 million people – including hospital patients and schoolchildren – without safe water, which underminines infection prevention and hygiene practices.

Growing protection risks for children include violence, family separation, child labour, sexual abuse, early unions and lack of legal documentation. Vulnerabilities are acute among children left behind by migrant parents, children with disabilities, Indigenous children and those in border areas. In areas affected by armed groups, girls and boys are exposed to recruitment, sexual exploitation and trafficking. Education is severely compromised, with an estimated 3 million children and youth aged 3–24 out of school and hundreds of thousands more at risk of dropping out due to economic hardship, poor infrastructure and academic disruptions. Around 200,000 teachers have left their posts, and those remaining often work part-time in under-resourced schools.

The country is the second most at-risk country in the Americas for natural and human-induced disasters, leaving children highly exposed to shocks. Climate change exacerbates existing inequalities and widens service gaps through increasingly frequent and intense weather events; in 2025 alone, severe floods affected more than 370,000 people nationwide.

The country is approaching a volatile phase, with rising geopolitical tensions in the Caribbean increasing risks of instability, conflict and heightened vulnerabilities for children and adolescents. Current mixed migration flows – including the rising trend of voluntary and involuntary returnees – are leaving children unaccompanied and separated and adding pressure on fragile systems unprepared for reintegration. Humanitarian efforts are further constrained by funding shortages and a shrinking civic space.

Guided by the Humanitarian Reset, UNICEF concentrates limited resources in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on delivering life-saving services in the locations with the greatest needs to ensure maximum impact. This means the UNICEF humanitarian response here focuses on the most vulnerable children and adolescents – including those with disabilities – in remote areas, Indigenous communities and border zones where access to essential services is scarce and protection risks are high. 

Working closely with local authorities, communities and civil society – including community- and faith-based organizations – UNICEF delivers integrated, inclusive and sustainable support that bridges humanitarian assistance with system strengthening and community resilience. As lead agency for the education, nutrition and WASH clusters, and ensuring continuity of child protection priorities within the consolidated Protection Cluster framework,UNICEF ensures a coordinated, child-sensitive response aligned with the country’s Humanitarian Response Plan.

UNICEF enhances access to maternal, neonatal and child health services through the provision of essential supplies, support to specialized services, health worker training and technical assistance for community and emergency care. It also supports national immunization efforts, strengthens cold chain systems and ensures timely outbreak response. To address malnutrition, UNICEF supports optimal infant and young child feeding practices, provides treatment for child acute malnutrition, and integrates these efforts with early childhood development and front-line worker training. 

In child protection and to address gender-based violence, UNICEF implements community-based interventions to reduce exposure to violence, sexual exploitation, trafficking and recruitment by armed groups. This includes proactive case identification, referral to specialized services and case management coordinated with municipal child protection councils. In areas affected by armed groups, in remote Indigenous communities and in border municipalities with high human mobility, UNICEF supports education for out-of-school children through foundational skills development and accelerated learning pathways. UNICEF promotes the retention of vulnerable children at risk of dropping out through child-friendly schools, which strengthen teacher capacity for inclusive, quality education, ensure safe and protective learning environments and foster active child participation.

UNICEF’s WASH programme expands access to safe drinking water, improved hygiene and sanitation in communities, schools, health facilities and protection centres – supporting children’s health and dignity. Disaster preparedness is implemented through the pre-positioning of supplies ahead of environmental shocks and potential human-induced emergencies. 

UNICEF promotes localized programming through meaningful community engagement and behaviour change strategies that help communities adopt life-saving practices, while ensuring transparency through inclusive feedback mechanisms. It also strengthens partners’ capacities to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse, embedding safeguarding principles across all programmes to keep the well-being of affected populations at the core of the response.