Simón Bolívar Foundation and Baylor College’s Colombia Foundation Extend Initiative to Support Health Services in La Guajira

The Simón Bolivar Foundation, a nonprofit foundation of US oil giant Citgo Petroleum Corporation, has extended its grant-sponsored partnership with the Texas Children’s Hospital and the Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Colombia to continue working together to support Colombians and Venezuelans in the department of La Guajira, one of the Andean nation’s poorest and least developed regions.

With this formal extension of their working relationship, the two organizations noted that they will continue to give special special attention to Venezuelan children and mothers as they work toward their larger mission to improve the health of vulnerable individuals affected by disaster, conflict, and poverty.

Micheal Mizwa of Texas Children’s Hospital (third from left), Mariela Poleo of the Simón Bolívar Foundation (in red on right), and others celebrate a funding milestone. (Photo: Simón Bolívar Foundation)

Overall, according to the organizations, they have impacted an estimated 7,766 migrants, mainly pregnant women and children, in this area of Colombia since 2022. Of the estimated 7.7 million Venezuelans who have migrated out of their home country during the past decade or so, nearly 3 million have hosted in Colombia, according to the UN Refugee Agency.

For 2024, the initiative will continue to focus on improving health and nutrition services, strengthening psychosocial support, increasing the capacity of health professionals and health workers, and meeting unmet basic needs, according to Ana Maria Galvis, executive director of Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Colombia.

The agencies say that extending and expanding the initiative will benefit nearly 10,000 more people, including around 1,600 children.

Michael Mizwa, director of Texas Children’s Global and CEO of Baylor College of Medicine Global Health, noted that this extension comes just as the organization marks its 10th anniversary of partnering with Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Colombia.

“This grant agreement…ensures the continuation of quality health care for these communities in La Guajira that are living in distress,” he said in a statement. “We can ensure the children, women, and communities served receive health care and nutritional services, capacity building for health workers and their basic needs are met.”

Mariela Poleo, president of the Simón Bolívar Foundation, added that continuing the work will help “address the complex humanitarian crisis in Venezuela” and expand “initiatives that improve access to medicine, nutrition, and healthcare for vulnerable populations in and from Venezuela.”