In Norte de Santander, we offered general health care and check-ups for children under 10 years of age, as well as sexual and reproductive health services and individual and family mental health consultations. Our teams worked mainly in Tibú and La Gabarra, assisting both Venezuelan migrants and Colombians with no health care cover. We handed this project over to the NGO Première Urgence Internationale in October.
We also deployed a team to provide general and mental health care to indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in Alto Baudó municipality, in Chocó department, following heavy rains in November. The humanitarian needs in this area, characterised by a lack of health care, education, employment, and more recently, food, were exacerbated in 2021 by a surge in armed violence.
In 2021, we spoke out about the violence perpetrated by criminal groups against people crossing the Darién Gap, a remote swath of jungle on the border between Colombia and Panama. MSF highlighted the need for safe migration routes and called on regional governments to provide protection from violence for migrant families.
