THE United States, which has provided almost US$4 million in humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan refugees in Guyana since 2017, has recommitted itself to the cause during a recent visit by a US State Department official.

A release from the US Embassy, on Thursday, noted that on December 9-10, Program Officer, Rebecca Alvarado from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration at the US Department of State, visited Guyana where she met with the local stakeholders involved.
These included government officials from the Department of Citizenship, the United Nations (UN) and other international program partners.
According to the release: “The visit underscores the US commitment to assist vulnerable

Venezuelans and host communities complementing Guyana’s generous efforts to manage the impacts of the crisis in Venezuela by providing critical social services and protection.”
The funding provided includes increasing Venezuelans’ access to legal status, promoting social integration in host communities and improving support and access to social services. As of June 2019, it was recorded that Guyana hosted approximately 36,400 Venezuelan migrants.

At the same time, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) reported that a survey of 1100 Venezuelan migrants in Guyana indicates that 17 per cent of that population, which is school-aged, is attending school here.