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Remote Assessment COVID-19: Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru

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BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. This resulted in an unprecedent health and socio-economic emergency that exacerbated existing vulnerabilities among nearly 3 million1 Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador, fleeing their country following the political and economic crisis.

The socio-economic status, the lack of financial resources and cultural barriers are only few factors impacting migrants’ ability to cope with this emergency and a growing inequality is likely to exacerbate, pushing millions of migrants towards a silent pandemic of poverty and food insecurity.

It is, therefore, critical to monitor how the situation changes over time and how COVID-19 is affecting the lives of millions of Venezuelan migrants in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. To achieve this goal and inform a rapid and effective response, WFP Regional Bureau in Panama (RBP), by leveraging an increased internet coverage2 among migrants, implemented a web-based survey using a patented Random Domain Intercept Technology (RDIT™) to collect real-time information from Venezuelan migrants.

The survey consisted of both close-ended and open-ended questions, allowing for a complementary quantitative and qualitative analysis at the individual level. Moreover, being this study a follow-up of two previous researchesconducted in June 2019 and February 2020 using the same methodology, one of the primary objectives is to monitor trends overtime and assess the impact of COVID-19 on migrants’ ability to meet their food and other essential needs.

A total of 959 Venezuelan migrants 5 were surveyed in the three countries, during 23 days of data collection.