ICBF Support for Migrant Youth & Children Program

The ICBF (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar / Colombian Institute for Family Welfare) is the Colombian Government entity that works for the integral protection of early childhood, childhood, adolescence, and the well-being of families in Colombia, providing special attention to those in conditions of threat, nonobservance or violation of their rights. It reaches more than eight million Colombians with its programs, strategies, and care services through its 33 regional headquarters and 213 zonal centers throughout the country.

ACDI/VOCA’s Program of Alliances for Reconciliation (PAR) has worked with them as part of our security and peaceful coexistence strategy and work with Venezuelan migrants. ICBF strengthened the support it provides to Venezuelan migrant children and youth, specifically with regards to prevention of violence and human right violations.

  • Strengthened the capacities of agents of the national system of family welfare at the territorial level to achieve comprehensive protection of children and adolescents due to the migratory phenomenon
  • Developed and implemented a strategy of social mobilization to facilitate access to state services for migrant families
  • ACDI/VOCA and Fundación ACDI/VOCA LA (FAVLA) provided training and workshops about the services that are available to vulnerable, migrant populations
  • Trained individuals on where and how to report on violence or human rights violations
  • Targeted trainings for government officials that may be dealing with these populations and not have the experience and knowledge needed to support migrant children and youth
  • The project is holding 16 workshops with 640 participations to provide socialization in the various territories, including six workshops with 370 migrant families and 10 workshops with 270 agents from the National Family Welfare System (SNBF)
  • The project is distributing 20 DecidoSer kits to SNBF agents to improve their skills in dialogue, respect, confidence building, and empowerment

Funder: Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF) / Colombian Institute of Family Welfare

Nicole Chao headshot

Project Director: Nicole Chao, nchao@acdivoca.org

Related News

Looking Back: Emergency Response in Arauca (ERA) Program Supports Vulnerable Groups

Recent figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees show that there are nearly 5.4 million Venezuelan migrants, refugees, …

Colombia_YRA_youth inclusion

USAID Provides $50 Million to Support Colombian Youth

In December 2020, USAID/Colombia awarded a cooperative agreement to ACDI/VOCA for the prime role of implementing the five-year Youth Resilience …

45 Podcasts: Migrants and Returnees Reinvent Themselves in Arauca

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in Colombia did not stop the momentum of Venezuelan migrants and Colombian returnees from …

Share
CLOSE