Venezuelan migrants receive food outside a migrant shelter in Cucuta, Colombia, on the border with Venezuela, May 1, 2019. Image by SCHNEYDER MENDOZA/AFP/Getty Images

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli NGO IsraAID is distributing relief materials in Colombia to thousands of Venezuelans escaping harsh conditions in their country.

An IsraAID emergency response team is on the ground in Cucuta, on the Colombian border with Venezuela, where thousands of Venezuelans are crossing daily seeking relief from the economic and political crisis in their country, according to the organization. There are already 1.2 million Venezuelans in Columbia. IsraAid said it has committed to remain in Colombia long-term.

Working with the local community and Venezuelan refugee organizations in Colombia, the IsraAID team has distributed relief materials and conducted hygiene promotion activities in partnership with Fundacion Venezolanos en Cúcuta, an organization of locally based Venezuelans who provide support to new arrivals as they enter Colombia.

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IsraAID’s response plan also includes child protection and back-to-school activities, community resilience-building and psychological support.

The NGO’s Colombia efforts are supported by the American Jewish Committee and individual donors. Donations to the Venezuelan refugee crisis response can be made through the IsraAID Emergency Response Fund.

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