On request by the Peruvian government, the World Bank made a US$3.5 million grant for the "COVID-19 Emergency Response for Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees in Peru" project. 

Through the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the project has been serving four regions of the country, where more than 40,000 migrants and refugees have suffered the strong effects of the economic crisis generated by the pandemic.

María de los Ángeles Palacios, her husband and their 5-year-old son had to walk more than 2,850 kilometers to reach Peru. Overwhelmed by the lack of food in Venezuela, they undertook a month-long journey to reach Tumbes, on the Peruvian-Ecuadorian border.

In their first months, María de los Ángeles and her husband did different jobs to raise the necessary money and buy tickets to Lima, where some family and friends were waiting for them. "At the beginning it went well, we were happy because we found work. I worked in a poultry store and my husband in a plastics company. I worked from eight to eight, Monday to Monday, to pay the rent for the room and food. But then came COVID and it was a horrible time because we had no one to ask for help. We owed seven months' rent," recalls María de los Ángeles.

As a result of the pandemic, thousands of people are living in a situation of vulnerability without being able to ensure their food, rent and other basic livelihood needs. Venezuelan migrants and refugees are doubly vulnerable due to their characteristics and conditions in the labor market and their limited access to services.

The project "Emergency response by COVID-19 for Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Peru", aims to cover the basic needs of the vulnerable Venezuelan population through the delivery of monetary cash transfers of S/760 soles, which help, among other things, to buy food, pay rent debts, make medical consultations, start enterprises, among others.

The project is currently being developed in the regions of Tumbes, Piura, La Libertad, Metropolitan Lima and Callao.

It is necessary to emphasize that the assistance under this project is free of charge and, therefore, no one can request any type of economic or in-kind exchange in return for it. In case of any doubt or irregularity, please contact the International Organization for Migration (IOM) at iomperuatencion@iom.int.