The United States has announced nearly US$16 million in humanitarian assistance for Venezuelans who have fled their country due to the crisis in the Bolivarian nation.
This assistance will help provide the people of Venezuela with safe drinking water, hygiene supplies, shelter, protection from violence and exploitation, plus work and education opportunities, in coordination with other humanitarian organizations and government partners.
This funding is in addition to the US$2.5 million for emergency food and health assistance the United States provided last month and the more than US$3 million provided to UNHCR that assisted Venezuelans in FY 2017.
In total, the U.S. humanitarian response to the Venezuelan crisis comes to more than US$21 million since FY 2017.
The United States remains very concerned about the struggle Venezuelan citizens face every day to meet their families' basic needs.
"As a hemisphere, we must increase our support for the well-being of the Venezuelan people and the restoration of their democracy. We greatly appreciate the generosity and compassion of countries throughout the hemisphere, which are hosting hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans fleeing the crisis in their country," USAID expressed.
These include Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Guyana, Suriname, Panama, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, and Curacao.
"We commend the humanitarian contributions made by all donors, and encourage additional contributions to meet growing humanitarian needs," it concluded.