Venezuela
2022-05 Factsheet - Venezuela
May 2022
Jun 2022 > Cluster Alojamiento Energía y Enseres Venezuela, 2022
Highlights
- By the end of May, the Shelter, Energy and NFI Cluster reached 16,375 direct beneficiaries through partner organizations and 54,551 indirect beneficiaries through interventions in institutions and community spaces providing essential services to population. Activities covered 14 states and Capital District. As key figures for the response, 14 spaces delivering essential services to communities were built and rehabilitated and 85 received NFIs; 4 Refugee Housing Units (RHUs), 27 street solar lamps and 8 systems to generate energy were installed. Also, 3,539 portable solar lamps and 1,109 habitat kits were delivered directly for the most vulnerable population, 2208 individual kits were provided for people on the move, and 1,124 people occupied temporary collective shelters.
- During May, a workshop with partner organizations took place to update the Cluster Strategy. As a result, four areas of action were defined: supporting the temporary collective shelters; strengthening capacities in communities and institutions; improving housing conditions, services, and rights; and supporting authorities in disasters and emergencies. Also, seven key subjects were stated: intersectoral approach, humanitarian-development nexus, relationship with government counterparts, cash transfer programs, greening the response, returns, and field missions. Strategy will be submitted for strategic advisory group approval in June.
- As part of the incidence actions from the Cluster, a video was prepared for the World Environment Day to show the results of trainings on solar energy prepared by the Cluster, and also the impact of partner organizations interventions to bring renewable sources of energy to health centers, community centers and public spaces. The link to the video is available here.
NFI
Shelter
Need analysis
- Heavy rains continued during May in several states of the country. Particular needs have been identified in Boca de Grita, where Civil Protection reported an area of 38 homes affected by the increase of flow in rivers, also with impacts on light poles and electrical wiring.
- According to reports of partner organizations, in Catatumbo and Colón, two municipalities in Zulia state floods affected at least 800 families, with requirements of NFIs including mattresses, mosquito nets, kitchens, fridges and solar lanterns among others.
- Partner organizations began the rehabilitation works in the medical service of the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía. This work will strengthen the necessary alliances with the authorities to allow access to people in need of international protection in the airport.
- Regarding population movements, official border flows across the Simon Bolivar International Bridge between San Antonio, Venezuela, and Cucuta, Colombia, have increased following the lifting on 1 May of all restrictions to border crossings and the extension of crossing hours. Also, official information from Venezuela’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America, on May 5th stated that over 340,700 Venezuelan’s have to date returned to the country (no timeframe or precedence was specified). The Vice Minister also claimed that an additional 62,000 Venezuelans in Peru’ have registered to return to their country, where they would eventually be “reinserted” through various government social programs. The government’s Plan de la Patria returns airlift scheme has officially brought back 28,795 Venezuelans from abroad and its flights are currently running on monthly basis.
Response
- By the end of May 2022 16,375 direct beneficiaries were reached by Shelter, Energy and NFI activities (53% female and 47% male) in 14 states and the Capital District. The states covering the highest number of direct beneficiaries were Táchira, Zulia, Apure, Miranda and Amazonas. Also, by interventions in institutions and other spaces providing essential services to population, the actions from organizations have reached indirectly 54,551 people of concern.
- As part of the Shelter Response, 14 spaces providing essential services to population were built and rehabilitated. 3 community centers and recreation spaces were built with the participation from the communities Miranda and Carabobo, 4 schools were intervened in Apure and Miranda states, 2 health centers in Portuguesa and Miranda, 1 coordination authority center in Capital District, 1 temporary collective shelter in Portuguesa, and 3 communities in Apure and Barinas. Also 4 RHUs were installed in a school in an indigenous community in Amazonas state.
- As part of the Shelter Response, 4,436 people were directly benefited by the Shelter response, of which 4,235 occupied temporary collective shelters in Apure, Táchira, Zulia and Sucre states and 161 received trainings on safe construction practices to contribute to the sustainability of shelter interventions in Zulia communities.
- Activities to improve access to Energy included the installation of 27 street solar lamps in communities, community centers and schools in Miranda and Carabobo State. 8 systems to generate electricity were installed in spaces to benefit the population of interest in Portuguesa and institutions to assist older adults in Zulia and Táchira. 44 portable solar lamps for spaces providing essential services to vulnerable population were installed in Apure, Bolívar, Táchira, Amazonas and Miranda. 81 people were directly benefited from energy interventions receiving trainings on alternative energy.
- Regarding access to basic NFIs, 11,858 individuals were benefited directly by distributions of NFIs including 2,208 individual kits delivered for people in mobility in Táchira state, 1109 habitat kits, including the assistance of vulnerable indigenous population and people affected by natural disasters, 3,539 portable solar lamps delivered directly to vulnerable people to mitigate protection risks, including 1678 for response to disasters and emergencies. 85 community spaces and institutions received NFI to provide services to population in need.
- In the states of Miranda, Zulia and Barinas, part of the response with NFIs was associated with disasters caused by recent floods, and included the direct distribution of 1678 portable solar lamps, plastic sheeting, mats, kitchen sets, as well as the distribution for Civil Protection of non-food items such as mattresses, sheets, rechargeable flashlights, linens, garbage bags, among others.
Gaps / challenges
- In order to address the need of a coordinated response for emergencies and repeated disasters, action plans are in the process of being developed under OCHAs coordination with the participation of UN agencies and other organizations providing humanitarian response in Amazonas, Apure, Barinas, Mérida, Táchira, Anzoátegui, Bolívar and Delta Amacuro states.
- The scarcity of qualified workforce in the constructing enterprises has been identified as a challenge for partner organizations, with an impact on projects timings and costs related to personnel contracting.
- For 2022 the international financing scenario is complex, given emergencies declared in other countries. It becomes important to strengthen the advocacy with donors emphasizing the broad impact of the interventions of the partner organizations on the most vulnerable people and mapping alternative sources of funding.
