CUCUTA, Colombia – Desperate families are fleeing into Colombia as neighboring Venezuela faces dire food shortages, power blackouts, and a collapsing national healthcare system. Not only are people dying from lack of nutrition and medical care, the rates of murder and suicide have also spiked. Samaritan’s Purse President Franklin Graham brings this update on their response to this Venezuela Refugee crisis from Cucuta, Colombia.

Thousands of Venezuelans are crossing the border every single day to reach different destinations, whether it is in Colombia or to other countries, like Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Samaritan’s Purse is providing them with shelter, food, and medical care.
Franklin Graham, President & CEO, Samaritan’s Purse:

“I’m in Cucuta, Colombia. We’re focusing on the refugees coming out of Venezuela. Thousands come out of the country every day right here into Cucuta because it is so bad in Venezuela. They’re walking, they’re pulling a suitcase behind them. So we’ve got medical teams here helping them, so many of them have medical problems.

We have shelter, a place where they can rest along the way as they go to Bogota. But we also are giving them food, feeding them as they go. Samaritan’s Purse is there helping them, and we’re doing this in Jesus’ Name.”

Samaritan’s Purse: International Crisis Response

Samaritan’s Purse stands ready to respond at a moment’s notice whenever and wherever disaster strikes. We specialize in meeting critical needs for victims of conflict, disaster, famine, and epidemics throughout the world, often working through ministry partners on the ground. We provide food, water, shelter, medicine, and other assistance in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Learn more in Samaritan’s Purse International Relief’s dedicated page to Help Venezuelans in Crisis, here.

To read more news on Disaster Relief on Missions Box, go here.