PHASE 6 HOPE FOR VENEZUELAN REFUGEES

HYGIENE & DISEASE PREVENTION KITS DISTRIBUTION

Prepared by
Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Hope For Venezuelan Refugees International Coordinator
Honorary Member Rotary Club of Cúcuta & Member Rotary e-Club of Houston
Honorary Ambassador International Service Committee Rotary District 4380
PHASE 6 HOPE FOR VENEZUELAN PROJECT
Hygiene & Disease Prevention Kits Distribution

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A. Propose Performance Period Start and End Date

Project Duration
February 1, 2022 to April 29, 2022

B. Executive Summary
Project Title Hope For Venezuelan Refugees - Hygiene & Disease Prevention Kits
Distribution Project
Slogan Alleviating hunger – Building Peace
General Project Description Phase 6 of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project was created to
respond to the emergency food insecurity and alleviate hunger affecting
thousands of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in-transit “caminantes”
fleeing from the Venezuelan complex humanitarian. Our team identified an
urgent need for hygiene and disease prevention kits.
Rotary Foundation’s Areas of Disease Prevention and Hygiene
Focus
Target Population Venezuelan refugees and migrants in-transit “caminantes”
Country Colombia
Location Cities of Pamplona and Pamplonita located on Cúcuta-Pamplona
Humanitarian Route “Ruta del Caminante”
Donor Rotary Club of Washington, DC and Rotary Foundation of Washington, DC

DC Rotary Club Foundation Maria Nelly Pavisich

Proponent
Rotary Implementing Partners
US Non-Profit Partner
mnpavisich@yahoo.com
(202) 906-9766
- Rotary Club of Cúcuta
- Rotary Club of Pamplona Fundadora de Ciudades
- Rotary International Service Committee District 4380
United For Change Center For International Development
(United4Change U4C)
501(c)(3) EIN # 35-2385293
Email info@united4changecenter.org
+1 (832) 968-4349

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Date of ISC Grant Submission
Date of Grant Approval Notice
Date of Grant Money Arrival
Specific Project Objective 1
Specific Objective 2
Number of Hygiene & Disease
Prevention Distributed
Cost of Women & Girls Hygiene
& Disease Prevention
Distributed
Cost of Men Hygiene & Disease
Prevention Distributed
October 29, 2021
December 28, 2021
January 8, 2022
Objective 1 – To help improve the personal hygiene conditions of the
Venezuelan refugees in-transit “caminantes” and prevent the propagation of
COVID-19, infections, and other diseases among the migrant population and the
host communities by providing hygiene kits and disease prevention containing
personal hygiene products, protection, and disinfectant products.
Objective 2 - To procure locally produced products will help to:
- Stimulate the deprived local economy, and help
- Decrease xenophobia towards the migrant population.
520 Women, Girls and Men Kits, distributed as follow:
- 307 Women & Girls Kits
- 213 Men Kits
Cost per kit $4.97
Content per 307 kits women & girls kits:
- Sanitary pads x 8 units
- Dental kit - Toothbrush & Colgate toothpaste 50 ml
- Shavers package
- Toilet paper
- Deodorant x 1.12 oz
- Antibacterial soap
- Shampoo Savital x 100 ml
- Antibacterial gel x 40 ml
- Face mask
- Wet wipes x 40 units
- Laundry Detergent 200 gr
- Fabric bag with strings
Cost per kit $4.02
Content per 213 men kits:
- Dental kit - Toothbrush & Colgate toothpaste 50 ml
- Shavers package
- Toilet paper
- Deodorant x 1.12 oz
- Antibacterial soap
- Shampoo Savital x 100 ml
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Distribution Centers
Total Impact
USA Point of Contact
International Host Country
Rotary Club
Project Staff Point of Contact
Social Media
Hygiene & Disease Prevention
Kits Distribution Project
Pictures & Video
- Antibacterial gel x 40 ml
- Face mask
- Laundry Detergent 200 gr
- Fabric bag with strings
- RHP-1 Punto de Apoyo Hermanos Caminantes Venezolanos y
Colombianos
- RHP-4 Albergue Hogar de Paso Marta Duque (Fundación Marta Duque
- RHP-6 Albergue Vanessa
520 Women, girls and men benefited from receiving the hygiene and
disease prevention kits
- Cristal Montañéz Baylor
Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project International Coordinator
Honorary Ambassador International Service Committee Rotary D-4380
Rotary e-Club of Houston
cristalmontanezvenezuela@gmail.com
+1 (713) 483-4990
- Ximena Murillo
United 4 Change Center (U4C) President & CEO
xmurillo@united4changecenter.org
+1 (832) 968-4349
- José Mauricio Villán Díaz
Rotary Club of Cúcuta President
marien7202@gmail.com
+57 (350) 855-9340
Av del Río 25N 90 interior 3 31 Conjunto Cerrado Vegas del Río,
Cúcuta, Norte de Santander
- Henry Sandoval
Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project Country Manager
henryalbertosandoval@gmail.com
+57 (321) 202-5129
- Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Hope-For-Venezuelan-
Refugees-Project-113163323407295
- Instagram: @hope_for_venezuelan_refugees
United4Change Center: https://united4changecenter.org/hope-for-
venezuelan-refugees-project/
- Video link https://youtu.be/3aV7-ibkn14
- Pictures link
https://www.flickr.com/photos/64484371@N03/albums/721777202982
14321
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C. Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project Background & Overall Impact
January 2019 – May 2022

Our efforts provide hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan refugees, migrants and caminantes with hope and
access to the fundamental human right to food.

Phases 1 to 4 of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project was a partnership between the Rotary e-Club of
Houston, the Rotary Club of Cúcuta, with the support of Rise Against Hunger (RAH), Rotary Clubs, and allied
organizations to provide access to food and alleviate hunger affecting thousands of Venezuelan refugees,
migrants, walkers “caminantes,” and Colombian returnees on the Cúcuta-Pamplona humanitarian route. More
than 578,000 refugees and migrants benefitted during this time according to an article published by Rise Against
Hunger on June 21, 20211

We are very grateful for the support of the Chanhassen Rotary Foundation/Rotary Club Chanhassen, Rotary of Club
Humble, Rotary Club of Brazosport, Rotary Club of El Campo, Rotary Club of Highlands, Rotary Club of Baytown,
Rotary Club of Gulfway Hobby, Rotary Club of Katy, Rotary Club of West University, Rotary Club of Memorial
Spring Branch, Rotary Club of El Paso Camino Real, Rotary Club of Calgary, Rotary Club of Somerset, Perrysburg
Rotary Club/Perrysburg Rotary Service Foundation, Downtown Rotary Club of Houston, Rotary Club of Humble,
Rotary Club Karlovac-Dubovac, Rotary Club of Cúcuta, Rotary e-Club of Houston, and the River Road Elementary
School.

Phase 5 of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Soup Meal Program was a partnership with United4Change
Center, in collaboration with RAG for Refugees, Forced Displacement, and Migration Rotary Club of Washington
Global, Rotary Fellowship for Global Development, and the Chanhassen Rotary Club.

We are currently implementing Phase 6 of the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Soup Meal Program, and
thanks to the generous grant from the Rotary Club of Washington, DC & Rotary Foundation of Washington,
DC, more than 520 women, girls and men refugees in transit “caminantes” benefitted from the donation of
hygiene and disease prevention kits.

Thanks to our donors and supporters, the Hope For Venezuela Refugees Project, in conjunction with the
volunteer-led food distribution center and shelters, has distributed more than 932,400 prepared hot meals, 348,213
lbs (157,947 kgs /174 tons) of locally produced commodities, provided PPE, portable hand washing stations, face
masks, soap, alcohol, disinfectants and other products required to fight the spread of the COVID-19, and
distributed 520 women, girls and men hygiene and disease prevention kits to refugees in transit “caminantes.”

1 https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/worldrefugeeday-2021/

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D. Venezuelan Refugees Crisis Overview
Brief Venezuelan Humanitarian Crisis Background

Venezuela is suffering its worst political, humanitarian, and economic crisis in history caused by the Nicolás
Maduro illegitimate regime. Poverty in Venezuela is an epidemic. The ENCOVI2 report found that 96% of the
households are in a situation of poverty and 79% in extreme poverty, a fact that means in the latter case that the
income received is insufficient to cover the food basket.

The shortage and high cost of food and

medicine, lack of essential services, collapse of
the hospital system, lack of employment,
increase in crime and corruption. The monthly
minimum wage was increased from $3.50 3 to
$28.004 per month only enough to buy a
kilogram of cheese and a liter of milk. This
critical situation has forced 1 in 7 Venezuelans
to flee to neighboring countries under
dangerous and risky conditions, without
money, identification documents, destination,
or plans, only with the desire to escape from a
situation that offers them nothing but hunger
and misery.

According to UNHCR, prior to the pandemic,

one in four Venezuelans skipped meals. Older
persons, often the major breadwinner, face
additional hardship since almost half have lost
their jobs. Since COVID-19, more than 4 in 10
have had to cut back on the amount they eat.4

Venezuelan Exodus

Since 2015, almost 6.13 million have left

Venezuela. 5.08 million are seeking refuge
across the region in Argentina, Brazil, Chile,

2
https://www.proyectoencovi.com/informe-interactivo-2019
3
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-raises-minimum-wage-fourth-year-hyperinflation-2021-05-01/
4
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-04/venezuela-s-maduro-announces-18-fold-increase-to-minimum-wage

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Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panamá, Perú, and the Caribbean, reaching a saturation point. Colombia
continues to be the host country of the largest number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela, hosting an
estimated 1.84 million refugees and migrants and 845,000 Colombian binational returnees according to the R4V
(Inter-Agency Coordination Platform for Refugees and migrants from Venezuela) Latin American and the
Caribbean, Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants and the region – April 20225.

The Venezuelan exodus represents the biggest refugee crisis in the history of Latin America, the Western
Hemisphere, and the Caribbean; and the largest forced migration crisis caused by dictatorship and corruption in
the world, second only to the Syrian refugee crisis, which has suffered from war for more than eight years.

The migration flow of Venezuelans to Colombia is unprecedented in the region. It represents too great a challenge
as neither Colombia nor the region's countries are prepared to take on the immense migratory flow. Income losses
during the pandemic have increase food insecurity, access to essential services, and the needs of the refugee
population living in Colombia.

Who are the Venezuelan Walkers “Caminantes”?

The walkers “caminantes,” as they are known, are women, men, and children refugee in transit traveling on foot
to escape from the violence, lack of food, medicine, essential services, poverty, and misery brought by Nicolas
Maduro's regime. Most of them are hungry and very poor in desperate need of assistance.

Every day, hundreds of Venezuelan walkers “caminantes” cross the Venezuelan-Colombian border through
illegal and clandestine trails called “trochas” despite the regulations imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These
improvised crossings trails have become the only access between the two countries for Venezuelans who travel on
foot. The caminantes are exposed to accidents and suffer from hypothermia and dehydration as they walk from

3
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-raises-minimum-wage-fourth-year-hyperinflation-2021-05-01/
5
https://www.r4v.info/en/document/r4v-latin-america-and-caribbean-venezuelan-refugees-and-migrants-region-april-2022

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city to city, and to other neighboring countries, through regions that oscillate between the unbearable heat and the
low temperatures of the Andean Region of the Páramo of Berlin located at 3,146 ft above sea level, while traveling
dangerous roads. Victimization and exploitation are rampant in the border regions. Paramilitary groups are
actively recruiting Venezuelan youth and young adults. At the same time, armed groups force undocumented
immigrants to work in coca fields and illegal mining, while many Venezuelan women and children are into sex
work.

According to Michael Grant, Assistant Deputy Minister for the

Americas at Global Affairs Canada “The facts for Venezuelan
refugees and migrants are stark: over half don’t have enough to eat,
80 to 90 per cent have lost their source of income, one in four children
are separated from their families during the journey, and many
women and girls face particular challenges, such as gender-based
violence and lack of access to sexual and reproductive health
services.6”
Some caminantes walk approximately 556 kilometers from the
border city of Cúcuta to Bogotá. Others, walk for days to other cities,
and others walk for weeks to neighboring countries on dangerous and
narrow roads without money or food. Activating a humanitarian
transportation program will reduce this danger and alleviate the
exhaustion and despair suffered by refugees and migrants during their
very long and challenging walks to their destinations.

E. Phase 6 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees - Hygiene & Disease Prevention

Project

Community Assessment - Urgent Need for Hygiene & Disease Prevention Kits Distribution

During a regular evaluation and community assessment meeting with the coordinators and volunteers of the food
distribution centers and shelters benefitting from our soup program, our team identified the urgent need for
hygiene and disease prevention kits for the refugees in transit “caminantes.” The situation is critical since most
of the refugees in transit don’t have access regular access to hygiene products, including feminine hygiene
products, soap, and disinfectants. Many have not taken a shower, washed their clothes, or disinfected their hands
properly in days or weeks in some cases.

6 https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1093902

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We identified and partnered with the following strategic locations on the Cúcuta-Pamplona humanitarian route:

- RHP -1 Punto de Apoyo Hermanos Caminantes Venezolanos y Colombianos

- RHP -2 Albergue Vanessa
- RHP - Rotary Club Pamplona Fundadora de Ciudades
- RHC - Road Distribution on the Cúcuta-Pamplona Humanitarian Route

Grant From Rotary Club of Washington, DC and the Rotary Foundation of Washington, DC

On December 28, 2021, the Rotary Club of Washington, DC and Rotary Foundation of Washington, DC, awarded
a grant of $3, 318.00 to United for Change Center for International Development to procure the proposed list of
needed products to pack and distribute 300 hygiene and disease prevention kits, 150 women & girls kits, and 150
men kits. The funds were received on January 8, 2022.

A new estimate was requested from the vendor only to find out that most of the products we priced in October
2021 and were submitted in our grant request proposal were not available due to the current economic crisis and
lack of supplies. At that point, our team decided to assess the market to find similar products and sizes and found
an import-export company with a good inventory of the needed products in smaller sizes at a great price.

As a result, our team was able to procure enough products to pack 520 hygiene and disease prevention kits (307
women & girls kits and 213 men), including laundry detergent, with the same budget.

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The kits were packed in a fabric bag with strings designed to be carried as a backpack. The logos of Rotary and
project partners were printed on the bag.

Project Staff and Volunteers Support Network

The Hope For Venezuelan Refugees team counts with one staff member, Country Project Manager Henry
Sandoval, based in the border city of Cúcuta. Our team works in conjunction with the following network of
volunteers and support organizations to successfully procure, prepare, and distribute the hygiene and disease
prevention kits:
- Rotary Club of Cúcuta
- Rotary Club of Pamplona Fundadora de Ciudades
- Punto de Apoyo Hermanos Caminantes Venezolanos y Colombianos
- Fundación Marta Duque
- Albergue Vanessa
- United4Change Center

Project Outline and Activities

In March, Henry Sandoval Country, Project Manager; Mauricio Villán, President Rotary Club of Cúcuta, and
Cristal Montañéz Baylor, Project International Coordinator, traveled to the distribution centers to initiate the
distribution of hygiene kits as per the projected timeline.

The Country Project Manager and the Project International Coordinator work very closely to execute, monitor,
and manage all project-related activities in alignment with the proposed objectives, including:

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 - Contact the local vendor and request new and updated estimates since the estimates submitted on the ISC
grant form were from October 2021.
- Coordinate the procurement of the products for 520 hygiene kits.
- Confirm and verify the quality and quantity of the purchased products.
- Procure and pack 520 hygiene and disease prevention kits:
o 307 kits for women
o 213 kits for men
- Coordinate the transportation from the city of Cúcuta to the cities of Pamplonita and Pamplona, and
personally deliver the kits to the selected distribution centers located approximately 3 hours from the city
of Cúcuta depending on the conditions of the road.
- Manage the logistics and distribution of the kits with the assistance of Rotary Partners, coordinators, and
volunteers
- Maintain records of the distribution.
- Prepare completion report.

D. Project Objectives
Project Objective 1

The project successfully fulfilled the primary objective to help improve the personal hygiene conditions of the
Venezuelan refugees in-transit “caminantes” and prevent the propagation of COVID-19, infections, and other
diseases among the migrant population and the host communities by distributing 520 hygiene kits & disease
prevention kits allocated as follow:

- 307 Women & girls kits

- 213 Men kits

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Women & Girls Kits

307 women & girls hygiene and disease prevention kits were packed and prepared for distribution. The cost of
each kit was $4.97 and the total cost of the 307 kits was $1,735.34. The kits contained the following products:

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Men Kits

213 men hygiene and disease prevention kits were packed and prepared for distribution. The cost of each kit was
$4.02 and the total cost of the 213 kits was $979.78. The kits contained the following products:

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 Project Objective 2

The secondary objective is to procure locally produced products to help:

- Stimulate the deprived local economy, and help
- Decrease xenophobia toward the migrant population.

This objective was achieved by the procurement of products from a local import-export company. The fabric bag
with strings was purchased from a local small entrepreneur.

Hygiene & Disease Prevention Kits Distribution

Our Project Manager regularly visited the selected food distribution centers to deliver the assigned number of
hygiene kits, verify the inventory, and document the distribution of the 520 kits.

The kits provided 307 women & girls and 213 men with access to essential hygiene products, which helped
prevent the propagation of COVID-19, infections, and other diseases for at least three to four weeks of their
journey.

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Hygiene & disease prevention kits distribution summary:

RHP-1 Punto de Apoyo Hermanos Caminantes Venezolanos y Colombianos

This food distribution center received a donation of two shower stalls and three toilets from the organization
Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (CISP-Colombia), and it was in dire need of hygiene kits to
distribute to the refugees in transit “caminantes.” Our Rotary partners, coordinators, and volunteers distributed
157 women & girl kits and 63 men kits to refugees at this assistance center.

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RHP-2 Albergue Vanessa

The coordinator of Albergue Vanessa informed us that this shelter offers an overnight shelter for women, children,
and men. However, the donor organizations don’t provide regular donations of hygiene products for the refugee
population. In the meanwhile, only hand soap is available. Our Rotary partners, coordinators, and
volunteers distributed 75 women & girl kits and 75 men's kits at this shelter.

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17
RHP - Rotary Club Pamplona Fundadora de Ciudades

Our team shared 25 women & girls kits with our local Rotary partners to distribute to the refugees in transit.

RHC - Road Distribution on the Cúcuta-Pamplona Humanitarian Route

Our team distributed 75 women & girls kits and 75 men's kits to the refugees walking through the humanitarian
route to other cities or countries searching for food, medicines, jobs, and a better life for their families.

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E. Project Expense Summary
The project was successfully implemented in compliance with the proposed and approved budget by the Rotary
Club of Washington, DC & Rotary Foundation of Washington, DC. The grant was used to procure and distribute
the needed products to pack 520 hygiene and disease prevention kits (307 women & girls and 213 men)

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F. Conclusion

Conclusion & Project Impact

Thanks to the grant awarded by the Rotary Club of Washington, DC & Rotary Foundation of Washington, DC,
the Hope For Venezuelan Refugees and United for Change Center for International Development team, in
collaboration with the Rotary Club of Cúcuta, Rotarian partners, and coordinators of volunteers-led food
distribution centers and shelters, successfully procured, packed, and documented the distribution of 520 kits
hygiene and disease prevention to vulnerable Venezuelans refugees and migrants in-transit “caminantes” on the
Cúcuta-Pamplona route during the most significant exodus and migration crisis in the Western Hemisphere
aggravated by the global pandemic.

Our project complies with the Rotary Foundation Disease Prevention and Hygiene areas of focus. The work of
the Rotarians, volunteers, and coordinators of the food distribution centers and shelters established by the civil
society organizations has contributed to saving lives and dignifying the passage of “caminantes” along the
humanitarian route by providing hot food, shelter, guidance, and needed hygiene & disease prevention kits.

Together, We are Serving to Change Lives…

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Completion Reports

Summary Phases 1 & 2 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees

https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2020/05/brochure-hope-for-venezuela-refugees.html

Phase 2 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Completion Report

https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2020/04/hope-for-venezuelan-refugees-phase-2.html

Phase 3 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees COVID-19 Efforts Completion Report

https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2020/11/phase-3-hope-for-venezuelan-refugees.html

Phase 4 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees COVID-19 Response Completion Report

https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2021/04/phase-4-hope-for-venezuelan-refugees.html

Phase 5 Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Soup Program Report

https://hopeforvenezuelanrefugees.blogspot.com/2021/12/phase-5-hope-for-venezuelan-refugees.html

Publications & Presentations

Women Leader's at the UN Event 6/6/21

The Front Line of Change: Women Leaders and the United Nations on
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVOPXfd9zXM

Rise Against Hunger 6/21/21

On World Refugee Day, Hope Starts with a Meal https://www.riseagainsthunger.org/worldrefugeeday-2021/

Rotary Voices 6/22/21

Venezuelan refugees find help, meals
https://blog.rotary.org/2021/06/22/venezuelan-refugees-find-help-meals/#more-12061

Diario Las Américas 6/22/21

Aliviando el hambre de refugiados y migrantes venezolanos
https://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/aliviando-e l-hambre-refugiados-y-migrantes-venezolanos-
n4225798

Imágenes Magazine of La Opinión Newspaper on Sunday, 7/4/21 “Aliviando el hambre de la población

migrantes y construyendo la paz"
https://www.pressreader.com/colombia/la-opinion-imagenes/20210704/281522229074830

Revista Multijurídica al Día Tribuna Digital 8/2021

Una Reina al Servicio de la Labor Humanitaria - 12va edición
https://www.slideshare.net/CristalMontanez/revista-multijurdica-al-da-tribuna-digital-una-reina-al-servicio-de-
la-labor-humanitaria-12va-edicion

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The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston 9/10/21
Hope for Venezuelan Refugees Project’s Cristal Montañéz Baylor webinar with Sandija Bayot, Chief
Development at WAC
https://youtu.be/_BT6m506FXA

Venezuela 360 Voz de América 10/8/21 https://youtu.be/XoXWhzJcxsg

Organization of American States OAS - Washington Global Rotary Refugee Report 2020
Providing Relief and Creating Opportunities for Refugees June 2020
https://www.slideshare.net/CristalMontanez/oea-washington-global-rotary-refugee-report-2020-providing-
relief- and-creating-opportunities-for-refugees-june-2020

OAS & Rotary 2020 Jun 23 Migrants and Refugees in the Americas in the context of the COVID 19 Pandemic
https://youtu.be/cHVnWfWJP9o

For more information contact:

Cristal Montañéz Baylor
Hope For Venezuelan Refugees Project International Coordinador Honorary
Ambassador International Service Committee Rotary District 4380

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