Venezuela Crisis Joint Response (VCJR) – protection and SRHR services in Colombia SUMMARY 
The economic crisis in Venezuela has resulted in 4.3 million people leaving their homes. In response Plan International,provides a rapid yet holistic package of services to migrants in Colombia where the majority of displaced people are. Women, adolescent girls and children are walking extraordinary distances in search of safety, food, healthcare and education. Despite boarder areas being hot spots, most people continue on to larger cities in search of services. Between February-October 2019 Plan started operations in Bogota due to the high case load and complex needs found within the Venezuelan population. In close coordination with partners, we deliver response services in a migrant centre, a transit bus terminal, as well as roaming mobile outreach services in hard-to-reach urban hot spots. Services include SRHR, child and maternal health, mental health and psycho-social support for children and caregivers, nutrition consultation, GBV prevention and legal advice. Colombia hosts over 1.1 million Venezuelan refugees (Feb 2019) 59% hold regular status allowing them to stay in Colombia for 2 years with access to employment, health, education. The other 41% with an irregular status (UNHCR) are considered more vulnerable and include a higher number of children and women. The increasing Venezuelan population led to a collapse in institutional capacity, leading to a humanitarian crisis in the Health sector. UNHCR figures show that 99% of registered Venezuelans are not covered by the health system (feb19).

The project adopts a multi-sectoral approach focusing on Protection and Health responding to the direct needs of 4500 Venezuelan migrant communities in Bogota and other neighbourhoods in the city. An alert was raised on finding public health diseases (incl HIV) associated with food insecurity and poor hygiene practices, mainly in children under 5. Hospitalisation, medicines and care for chronic diseases were not accessible to all migrants. Health information is scarce, including MHM support. Pregnant & lactating women have no access to life saving antenatal and postnatal care. Venezuelan girls and adolescents are frequently targets of sexual exploitation and violence due to their high vulnerability. Today UNHCR reports 294,860 Venezuelans (+\- 60.000 under age 18) in Bogota, receiving limited attention of the international aid community. Most of them arrive in Bogota through the main transport terminal in Ciudad Salitre. From there, it is crucial to provide them with immediate assistance as their health has deteriorated and many are subject to protection risks, including SGBV. Plan will work within the state-led Migrant Center (Centro Integral de Atención al Migrante) in Santa Fe to conduct Protection activities with children and adolescents, focusing on (adolescent) girls, GBV prevention & response, support legal consultations. Local partner Fundacion Halu provides (mental) health care through a mixed approach: in service centers authorized by the District Health Secretary and across the city in mobile health units. The following vulnerabilities will be prioritised: people with urgent medical and food security needs, including malnutrition and communicable or chronic diseases, pregnant & lactating  women, those forced to have sex for survival or at risk of sexual exploitation, trafficking and smuggling, and boys, girls and adolescents, including unaccompanied children. Plan and Fundacion Halu adopt a multi-sectoral approach focusing on Protection and Health responding to the needs of Venezuelan migrant communities in Bogota. The project provides life-saving support to 4,500 migrants (1600 females, 1200 males, 1000 girls, 700 boys) arriving at the Migrant Center in Teusaquillo and in other neighborhoods in the city. 

Halu works in the Migrant Center and a Health facility in Barrios del Centro, Santa Fe, where prostitution is prevalent and other 3 mobile health units for remote areas. Halu targets 2,000 migrants with medical consultation, nursing, basic laboratory tests for pregnant women, girls, children under 5 and people with chronic health problems and treatment of cases of sexual violence and reproductive health. A gendered nutrition care approach focuses on pregnant women, girls and boys and adults at risk of malnutrition. Halu informs migrants on the state health system, while providing health promotion, focusing on menstrual health products for adolescent girls, baby kits for PLW, and child birth kits as per the Health sector recommendations.

Protection activities take place at the Migrant Centre. Plan runs a Child Friendly Space providing psychosocial support, information on human and child rights, age and gender sensitive recreation for girls and boys. Halu supports trauma counselling with clinical psychologist stationed at the centre. Plan staff identify vulnerable children for referral to government social workers and Halu for medical response. Plan trains government Centre staff on migrant, refugee rights, entitlements and status, other forms of protection, child protection standards and identification & referral of children at risk. Existing referral pathways are reviewed and strengthened. In an Adolescent Space Plan provides life skills, dignity kits and access to family planning and maternal and child health care. Emergency shelters are available to GBV survivors through an arrangement with the Colombian Red Cross.The intervention will be implemented within 6 months with the first month dedicated to the logistical/administrative set up; finalisation of the agreement with service providers related to GBV survivors' shelters (Colombian Red Cross), recruitment of additional staff incl CFS facilitators and training on different protection topics. As activities are planned directly with the Migration and Health government bodies, no specific permits will be required. With regards to the Centro Integral de Atención al Migrante, the first month will be used to equip the CFS and the Women/Girls friendly space with the appropriate material. This time will be used to plan together with the center holders the dates for the training of local authorities and the referral system workshop. In parallel, the procurement of dignity kits and health items (menstrual hygiene, mother and baby kits) will also be initiated. Activities will be ongoing(center open 6days/week) with the last month for handover & reporting.

GENDER: As Venezuelan women and girls are at great risk of SGBV, the focus is on protection of females in situations of prostitution & sexual exploitation. Increased access to protection and health services enables them to better meet their needs with dignity. Plan integrates protection and gender-sensitivity for females to increase their coping mechanism, resilience and transferable life-skills. 

CAPACITY BUILDING: In the Center, government staff will be trained on migrants and refugee rights & entitlements, other forms of protection/alternative legal stay arrangements, child protection standards and identification and referral of children at risk. The cooperation with local authorities will increase the implementation capacity in refugee rights expertise of local civil society. The involvement of government staff will strengthen the capacity of local administration to maintain an effective response to the Venezuelan migrants after project end.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Health facilities including the migrant center, specifically the CFS and Adolescent/Girls space will be facilitated by Plan staff to monitor a child-friendly feedback & complaints mechanism. Each piece of feedback/complaint received is recorded and followed up for resolution by the Plan MEAL department. Comments are collected weekly, analyzed and incorporated in subsequent planning and, if necessary, the adaptation of activities. Beneficiaries are continuously reminded and encouraged to use this feedback mechanism. Plan focuses on building human and social capital as it is integral to strategic community investment; it leverages and multiplies the impact of the intervention by strengthening local partner organizations, increasing the likelihood of project success and sustainability. Plan has focused part of its intervention in a government-owned center, working hand in hand with state extension staff and providing them with capacity building opportunities on refugee and migrant rights, tools necessary for them to take the intervention forward after the project period ends. Additionally, through this intervention, Plan's local partner Halu will participate in capacity building on various protection issues and safeguarding.