ColombiaAFA Executive Director, Jesus Aguais, and YPO members meet with Colombian President Ivan Duque

AID FOR AIDS hosts YPO visit in Cucuta, Colombia to draw attention to the Refugee Crisis

This past November our Executive Director, Jesus Aguais and  members of our AID FOR AIDS Colombia team hosted the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) in a visit to our Cucuta location

Highlights of the trip included a private reception with Colombian President, Ivan Duque, and a tour of the Caminantes Route in the Paramo de Berlin. Our presence and work in the region continues to expand in order to address the growing gaps in the response to the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis, with over six  million people having fled the Latin American country as of this writing.

Accompanied by esteemed members of the Young Presidents’ Organization, including Adriana Cisneros, CEO of Grupo Cisneros, our team visited several shelters along the Paramo de Berlin, one of the routes most heavily transited by the refugees who travel on foot across the border into Colombia. We also  met with with refugees who practice survival sex , furthering our understanding and research on  the issue. 

Every one of our field trips yields new findings and raises the alarms on new issues to be addressed by the international community, multilateral organizations and humanitarian response. It is alarming to see how the Venezuelan Refugee Crisis continues to be direly underfunded, while the number of migrants continues to rise and the economic, social and political stability in the region weakens. 

As we welcome the new year, our focus continues to be on working in partnership with civil society to develop effective, innovative solutions and ensure access to healthcare, food, HIV prevention and quality of life for all. Join us in continuing to respond to the crisis by donating here