Project profile — Colombia crisis – health and protection services – Médecins du Monde 2024

November 2024 – In Colombia, the Darien Gap, a vast jungle covering 750,000 hectares along the border with Panama, is the most dangerous part of the route migrants must pass through to reach the United States.. Migrants going through the Darien Gap experience twice as many hardships compared to other countries, including natural hazards and organized crime. The region also experiences a lack of health services and a substantial increase in sexual and gender-based violence(GBV), used as a weapon of terror and a source of extortion against an already vulnerable population. In 2023, 520,000 people crossed the Darien Gap, with 800,000 expected to cross in 2024. With GAC’s support, Médecins du Monde helps reduce suffering, enhance and maintain human dignity and lives saved for people on the move and in host communities, particularly women and girls in the Darien region of Colombia. Project activities include: (1) deploying a fixed health care clinic in the targeted area; (2) providing medicines and medical supplies to migrants and host communities; (3) raising awareness to reduce the risks and mitigate the impact associated with crossing the Darien region; (4) providing services and support to GBV survivors; and (5) establishing a monitoring system for migratory flows.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased immediate access to quality primary health care and adapted sexual and reproductive health services for migrants and host communities; (2) increased access to quality, equitable, and gender-sensitive services with an intersectional approach, including GBV, attention for survivors, and mental health and psychosocial support services for people exposed to violence; and (3) improved effective rapid health and protection response mechanisms in crisis-affected area in Acandí, Chocó, Colombia. The expected ultimate outcome is lives saved, suffering alleviated, and human dignity maintained in countries experiencing humanitarian crises or acute food insecurity.

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