Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Appeal

Since 2014, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela has experienced economic decline, leading to the collapse of social services and the migration of more than 7.7 million people. In September 2024, the inflation rate was 46 percent, teachers' average wage was approximately $19 per month and the basic food basket cost $539. Conditions remain critical, especially for children left behind by parents who emigrated, living with disabilities, and from Indigenous families. 

The health system is overstretched due to a deteriorated public infrastructure, limited access to supplies and staff shortages; 57 per cent of hospitals lack regular access to safe water, which, combined with irregular antenatal consultations, infectious diseases and complications during pregnancy and childbirth, threaten mothers' and children's survival. Out of every 1,000 live births, 33 children do not reach the age of 5 years, and up to 20 children die during the first 28 days of life. The country shows a significant deterioration in maternal mortality, with an increase in the maternal mortality rate of 182.8 percent in 20 years. Immunization coverage is only 54 percent for the third dose of diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus vaccine, the second lowest coverage in the region. Eighteen per cent of the population is undernourished, while 1.8 million women aged 15–19 years are affected by anaemia. Approximately 9.4 percent of children under age 5 are wasted, and UNICEF will target 62,162 of them for treatment.

In 2024, 3.7 million people needed WASH services. Moreover, 70 per cent of the population is vulnerable to natural hazards and only 2 percent have access to early warning systems, which increases the risk of a public health emergency. During the year, more than 27,000 children were affected by climate change-related disasters.

The continuity of education is compromised, with more than 167,000 teachers having left their jobs and those remaining working only twice a week, in inadequate school infrastructure. This has led to to reduced learning hours, academic disruptions and a 37 per cent decrease in enrolment for the 2024–2025 academic year compared with 2021–2022. A comprehensive humanitarian approach is essential to stabilize the education workforce, improve school infrastructure and support teachers and students to ensure continuous and quality education. Regular school attendance has a direct effect on reducing children’s exposure to protection risks. 

In a context compounded by climate change, social service collapse, political unrest and the presence of armed non-state actors, children face severe risks of violence, trafficking, exploitation, forced recruitment, sexual and gender-based violence and abuse. The situation of children left behind by migrant parents and those in border areas, as well as the overall impact on children’s mental health, is of particular concern.

UNICEF's response is multisectoral, evidence-based and life-saving. UNICEF's humanitarian strategy in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela responds to the impact of the ongoing slow-onset socioeconomic crisis, to mitigate the effects of the progressive deterioration of social services in the country. As the cluster lead agency for the Education, Nutrition and WASH clusters, and the Child Protection Area of Responsibility, UNICEF generates and disseminates data, creates child-sensitive advocacy products and builds local partners’ capacity in humanitarian action and risk management. UNICEF mainstreams resilience, disaster risk reduction and preparedness into its programme and promotes a localized approach to ensure community-level impact. It is committed to inclusive and gender-transformative programming, including disability training for front-line workers, and promotes the participation of affected populations in decision-making while strengthening the right-based approach for inclusive services during emergencies.

Based on needs analyses carried out by the health and nutrition clusters, UNICEF focuses on reducing neonatal and maternal mortality and malnutrition. This includes strengthening the cold chain so that is can endure irregular electricity services, building the capacities of health personnel, providing essential supplies and equipment, strengthening referral mechanisms and rehabilitating critical spaces for obstetric neonatal emergencies. UNICEF prevents, detects and treats all forms of early childhood malnutrition, and seeks to reduce the child mortality rates by facilitating consultations for children under age 5. 

In education, UNICEF is committed to providing humanitarian aid, ensuring that out-of-school children and those at risk of dropping out have access to education. By fostering supportive learning environments and learning recovery, UNICEF helps ensure education continuity for children. Schools become integral support centres where protection, WASH, health and nutrition services work together to address the causes of academic dropout.

In child protection, UNICEF improves children's access to quality case management and specialized services, including legal identity services, as well as gender-based violence prevention and response. This entails development of referral mechanisms, standard operating procedures and evidence-based approaches to address the needs of unaccompanied children, children left behind and victims of violence, in close synergy with Child Protection Area of Responsibility partners. UNICEF also strengthens community-based child protection mechanisms, focusing on Indigenous communities and border areas where children are vulnerable to trafficking, exploitation and recruitment by armed non-state actors and gangs. 

UNICEF provides life-saving WASH services and practices in the most vulnerable communities and schools, health-care facilities and protection centres, focusing on areas with severe humanitarian needs, determined in coordination with the WASH Cluster. Key WASH interventions include providing access to safe water, hygiene promotion, infection prevention and control, WASH kits and emergency sanitation. UNICEF will continue to scale up and mainstream climate adaptation into its programmes, using WASH asan entry point.