UNICEF’s Humanitarian Response in Venezuela
We work to guarantee that children and adolescents can exercise their rights in Venezuela and the rest of the world.
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Our work in humanitarian situations
As World War II ended, millions of children suffered from starvation, diseases, and emotional distress. In order to resolve this crisis, the United Nations (UN) created the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) in December 1945.
Seven years later, the UN expanded UNICEF’s mission to more than just emergencies, so as to attend to the healthcare, protection, and development needs of children and adolescents throughout the world.
Situation in Venezuela
UNICEF has worked in Venezuela since 1967, but it was not until 1991 that the first Country Programme, a framework document for cooperation with national stakeholders, was signed to improve the situation for children and adolescents, and to make progress in achieving compliance with their rights.
The complex socio-economic situation that Venezuela finds itself in has led to great difficulties in children and adolescents, especially the most vulnerable ones, having their rights respected and gaining access to basic services.
In this regard, UNICEF has intensified its presence and support for young people in Venezuela in order to meet the rising demands in terms of health care, access to water, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, education, and protection.
Today, UNICEF is one of the United Nations agencies with the greatest operational presence in this region, with facilities in the Head Office in Caracas and in four other field offices in Caracas, Zulia, Bolívar, and Táchira.
UNICEF’s response to COVID-19
As part of the United Nations System’s framework response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela, UNICEF contributes, as per its mandate, with initiatives related to health care and water, sanitation and hygiene in the 47 sentinel hospitals at national level, and 82 primary healthcare centres.
Click on the map* to see the details of our initiatives.
A good start in life for every child
Nourish every child’s potential
Safe water for every child
Education for every child
Protection for every child
Special projects
In response to the needs of indigenous populations as well as of vulnerable children and adolescents in Maracaibo, Zulia, UNICEF is working with a civil society organization called the “CEPIN Foundation” (The Centre for Comprehensive Child Development), with the objective of reducing malnutrition in children through the promotion of environments suited to a healthy development. With the support UNICEF provides to CEPIN, 350 children from 16 communities have benefited from a comprehensive project based on community engagement.
Currently, 42 UNICEF advocates make daily house-to-house visits to help educate people on adequate nutrition, breastfeeding, and hygiene practices. The home visits and information provided by UNICEF advocates enable carers to identify the symptoms of malnutrition in children and refer them immediately to CEPIN for treatment. Since November 2019, more than 800 children have been examined for signs of malnutrition, 80 are undergoing nutritional treatment, and 30 of them have been discharged. In addition, 3,000 children and carers took part in information and services workshops on nutrition, health care, water, sanitation and hygiene, and child protection.
In this video you can find out about the activities carried out by UNICEF and CEPIN:
It is of the utmost importance to UNICEF that calculations be made using quality data which allow the right decisions to be made in order to improve our operations in the field, which is why the close monitoring of our programmes is a priority.
This data contributes to a better understanding and evaluation of the situations that Venezuelan children and adolescents are currently in, and to the enhancement of programme monitoring procedures. Field monitoring in Venezuela is carried out by UNICEF staff and third parties.
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