Image Library
-
“I have HIV and medicines are the only thing that keeps me alive.”
For José*, leaving Venezuela was his only choice. Back home, he was being treated with expired retroviral drugs and his health was declining. Now he receives medication at a hospital in Ibarra and works at a restaurant.
*Name changed for protection reasonsBACKGROUND INFORMATION:Ecuador has a long tradition of welcoming refugees and is now the third largest host country in South America (behind Colombia and Peru) for Venezuelans fleeing the socio-economic situation. Up to 250,000 Venezuelans are estimated to be living in Ecuador and the government is providing forms of legal stay. Some 90,000 residence permits have been issued (as of mid-October 2018). It is also a transit country, with hundreds of thousands travelling onwards. Those who have settled are concentrated in urban areas including Quito, Guayaquil, Manta, Cuenca and Ibarra. At border entry points, UNHCR delivers humanitarian aid, shelter and cash-based assistance to new arrivals, some of whom are very vulnerable and have specific needs or disabilities.PHOTOGRAPHER
Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo - Date
- Credits Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo/UNHCR
- Themes Health Politics and Economics
- Regions Americas Venezuela Ecuador