EN-Darién

Due to unprecedented migration, a humanitarian crisis has erupted in the Darién, the tropical jungle bordering Colombia and Panama. Thousands of people, including children and adolescents, attempt to cross the dangerous jungle, also known as the "Darién Gap," in search of a better quality of life.

Many manage to traverse the jungle, others remain along the way, but undoubtedly, all face countless needs and risks, with children and adolescents being the most affected.

According to data from the Colombian Ombudsman's Office, more than 520,000 migrants crossed the Darién jungle between January and December 2023. About 115,000 were children and adolescents.

The situation becomes more complex each year; in 2023, the number of people crossing the Darién increased 110% compared to 2022. In 2022, more than 248,000 were recorded.

In the following micro-documentary, we invite you to learn about the migration crisis in the Darién jungle. Hear firsthand the challenges and risks that families face in their quest for a better future.

Click to discover these stories that deserve to be told.

Darién Context

Historically, migrants, especially from African and Asian countries, have used this region between Colombia and Panama as a route to cross Central America and finally reach North America. However, between 2022 and 2023, migration flows peaked significantly, especially among migrants of Venezuelan origin.

Reaching the Darién involves a long journey through migration routes, starting from municipalities like Turbo and Necoclí in Colombia and mainly Bajo Chiquito or Dos Bocas in Panama, from where they enter the Darién jungle.

Click play on the video to learn about the migration route.

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The despair generated by their environment pushes hundreds of families to migrate through dangerous routes, such as the Darién, in search of an opportunity in countries like the United States. Their great desire is to improve their quality of life and ensure a more stable future, especially for their children.

This crossing through the Darién jungle represents a mix of necessity and hope for families who feel that, despite the risks, they have no other viable options.

Click play on the video and listen to their testimonies.

Learn about the number of registered people who crossed the Darién jungle between 2020 and 2023 and their nationalities, genders, and predominant ages.

Interact with the statistics:

Learn about the number of registered people who crossed the Darién jungle between 2020 and 2023 and their nationalities, genders, and predominant ages.

Interact with the statistics:

For children and adolescents, facing the challenges of entering one of the world's most dangerous jungles represents a heartbreaking reality. In the days before crossing the river and taking the first step into the Darién jungle, their hearts are filled with uncertainty. Stories they have heard, the dangers of the rivers, and the echoes of the jungle linger in their minds; they do not know what to expect, but they dream of a different future, even if it is uncertain.

What goes through the mind and heart of a child about to cross the Darién?

The transit through the Darién Gap can vary between 5 to 10 days. During this journey, migrants face risks and vulnerabilities due to geography and climate. The lack of essential services such as drinking water and medical care particularly affects children and adolescents, exposing them to the risk of diarrhea, respiratory diseases, and dehydration. There are other serious risks associated with violence, including sexual violence, human trafficking, kidnapping, and extortion.

The following galleries explore the main needs and risks faced by migrants in their journey through the Darién jungle, from the first steps in Turbo or Necoclí, Colombia, to the most critical challenges in transit through the Darién Gap.

To make the situation even harder, many families arrive in Turbo, Antioquia, one of the municipalities from where they depart towards Acandí or Capurganá, and then towards the Darién jungle, without sufficient resources to cover the costs associated with the journey: transportation, food, hydration, shelter, medicines, essential items, among many others. Therefore, they must stay indefinitely to gather the necessary money.

The municipality of Turbo reports approximately 1,000 departures daily, which means 1,000 people, take a boat to the dock every day with the hope of reaching the American dream and achieving a peaceful life.

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However, between 80 and 100 families, of which approximately 20% are children and adolescents, cannot leave the municipality of Turbo due to economic reasons. Therefore, they must stay there, many of them homeless, while they gather the necessary resources to continue their journey. The latter significantly increases their exposure to risks and needs.

42% of the population in transit in that region are children and adolescents.

That is why, at SOS Children's Villages, we are present in that region of Colombia through the "Take My Hand" strategy, responding with solidarity and commitment to the deep migration crisis in the Darién.

This project aims to improve the protection of children, adolescents, and their families through a comprehensive protection approach that combines humanitarian assistance and capacity building.

Our response includes the following actions:

1. Protective Spaces for Children: where protection activities are developed to sensitize and guide children and their families in rapid or prolonged transit regarding risk identification and protection and self-care skills and strategies during the migration process.
2. Psychosocial support: Psychological first aid for migrant children, adolescents, and young people in transit to mitigate impacts.
3. Distribution of Non Food Items (NFIs) for children and their families to dignify their transit.
4. Monitoring to identify unaccompanied and/or separated children or victims of violence, exploitation, abuse, or neglect and activation of routes.
5. Temporary Alternative Care for unaccompanied and/or separated children and adolescents.
6. Case management for family reunification of unaccompanied and/or separated children and adolescents.

We work daily to ensure that children and adolescents find a safe space, where they can access essential services, promote their protection, and grow surrounded by love and care. At the same time, we work with their families to provide them with tools to improve their lives, creating spaces of safety, support, and new opportunities.

Learn more about "Take My Hand" through our participants' testimony, experience, and impact.

Click play on the video.

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