key: cord-0056841-po9mnaxy authors: Bolivar Duerto, Cristher M title: In limbo: Survey of impact of COVID-19 on Venezuelan migrants in Trinidad and Tobago date: 2021-01-13 journal: J Refug Stud DOI: 10.1093/jrs/feaa094 sha: 6f7b44ebb68696a2e8487f27a7f010a6fc30baff doc_id: 56841 cord_uid: po9mnaxy Between 10 May and 10 June 2020, the author conducted a mixed online survey amongst Venezuelan refugees and migrants currently living in Trinidad and Tobago, to assess the impact of local COVID-19 measures on their livelihoods and food security. Responses were alarming: 92 per cent felt their livelihoods disrupted; 50 per cent lost all income, and a further 36 per cent lost between half and three-quarters. Almost 80 per cent resorted to borrowing money to avoid eviction and meet basic needs; 83 per cent either skipped meals or reduced choice. The majority of respondents indicated that individuals or independent church organizations were their main source of help. Assistance from organizations whose raison d’être is to protect refugees and migrants in Trinidad and Tobago was classed as insufficient by 39 per cent, and seriously insufficient by 33 per cent. In the words of Eduardo Stein, Joint Special Representative for Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants, the Venezuelan refugee crisis is now 'one of the biggest external displacement crises in the world today' (R4V 2020g). A revised estimate shows that as many as 8 million people could be fleeing Venezuela by the end of 2020 (R4V 2020g). In their 2019 end-of-year report, the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform (R4V) that coordinates the Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan (RMRP) estimated that approximately 190,000 people, Venezuelan and host community alike, would be in need of assistance in the Caribbean by the end of 2020 (R4V 2020a). These estimates were before COVID-19 arrived in full swing. Due to its proximity, Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) is one of the Caribbean countries with the largest number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants. The anyone regardless of their immigration status would have access to testing and medical assistance if symptomatic, but overall, the Venezuelan community would not attend health services unless in extremis, many fearing imposed quarantines or deportation (Living Water MMR 2020) . The main R4V frontline organizations, UNHCR and Living Water Community (LWC) responded to lockdown. On 23 March, UNHCR closed its registration centre to the public; its cash assistance programme was disrupted. Venezuelans could not register, or renew expired cards, and remained, for the whole of this period, with limited assistance. Only on 4 May, it was announced that the expiry date of UNHCR registration cards would be extended till the end of August. During this time, UNHCR's main local implementing partner, LWC, also closed. As frontline LWC staff 'worked from home', essential food assistance to those eligible was intermittent, at best. On 26 May, UNHCR announced the reopening of remote pre-registration and registration, rescheduling interview dates. Later, it announced the reopening of their office from 1 June, by appointment only (UNHCR Public Notice 2020). During this stressful, confusing period, information about assistance appeared not readily available to migrants. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent developments, Venezuelan refugees and migrants depend today, more than ever, on humanitarian aid. This opportunistic survey was aimed at capturing the situation as it happened, and obtaining evidence directly from the affected community, on crisis impact, access to assistance, and survival strategies. The World Food Programme (WFP) conducted a COVID-19 impact survey for the Caribbean but it was not specifically aimed at the most vulnerable populations, like refugees and migrants (WFP 2020). Data from this survey could be of particular interest to humanitarian donors, decision-makers, and practitioners concerned with the provision of assistance to Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the Region, as well as the general public. An online, qualitative-quantitative structured questionnaire (Encuesta sobre el impacto del COVID-19 en la seguridad alimentaria y medio de subsistencia de migrantes venezolanos en Trinidad y Tobago) was designed and administered during the months of May and June 2020. For a timely data capture, the survey was designed and launched using Google forms (https://www.google.com/ forms/about/) and snowballed from two community leaders in Trinidad, and a key person in Tobago, via the three largest local Venezuelan community WhatsApp and social media groups. Questions could be accessed easily from mobiles or computers as internet provision was not disrupted during the data collection period. The survey collected no personal data, respecting anonymity, since this population has increased protection needs. It consisted of 20 open and close-ended questions, divided in two sections: demographic details, collected in the first three questions, and impact, collected via 17 mixed questions on food security, livelihood, and protection against the virus (Supplementary Appendix 1). At survey end, 88 responses were obtained (67 per cent female and 33 per cent male). Minor response inconsistencies existed in less than 10 per cent of the sample. Respondents' age range was 19-58 years old, with an average of 35 years, and a mode of 30 years. Respondents were asked to state with how many people they shared accommodation. Over half were living in overcrowded conditions, sharing with more than four other tenants, increasing COVID-19 infection risks. In relation to supporting others, most respondents (67 per cent) indicated having at least two and as much as five dependents. Almost 20 per cent had more than five dependents. Responses showed that dependents lived either with them in TTO or in Venezuela (many had their families taking care of their children in Venezuela) and were partly or completely dependent on remittances. In fact, the main worry of this altruistic community was not the threat to their own livelihoods, but that 94 per cent were no longer able to send remittances home during this period. Most respondents (97 per cent) reported that COVID-19 had disrupted their livelihoods in some manner. Employment went first: 44 per cent lost their employment altogether, 40 per cent were sent home on unpaid leave, and 16 per cent experienced reduced days/hours of work. Then cash availability: 48 per cent lost all income, 19 per cent lost three-quarters, 16 per cent lost half, and 9 per cent a quarter of their income. Only 8 per cent reported no income changes ( Figure 1 ). To further calculate impact, respondents were asked to state their monthly income before disruptions. Declared income ranged from a 1,000 TT$ (146 USD) to 9,500 (1,318 USD) with a median of 3,000 TT$ (439 USD)-(www.xe.com)- Figure 2 . This was then used to assess the impact of their loss of income. There was no correlation between salary level and salary loss. In other words, workers had similar chances of losing all or part of their salaries, regardless of salary size. Note minimum salary in TTO is 17.5 TT$/hour, or 2,800 TT$/month (414 USD/month) for full-time employment (www.news.gov.tt). Respondents were then asked how they adjusted to the loss of income, and other ways in which they were affected. Options were non-mutually exclusive. In relation to supplementing income, 78 per cent indicated borrowing money, 52 per cent selling personal items, and 56 per cent not coping with changes and simply remaining without an income. Overall, 18 per cent tried to get a second job or seek an income alternative, the odd task, or intermittent day work. Securing a roof was a principal worry: 10 per cent (8 respondents) were evicted because they were 'unable to pay rent' all with dependents, and one with dependents living in Trinidad; 81 per cent reported owing rent to their landlords and fearing eviction. This fear may explain why 77 per cent indicated continuing to pay utility bills to landlords, despite a Government-mandated COVID-19 relief moratorium. In relation to food and other items, 72 per cent reported they could not afford to buy enough food. Of those, 38.6 per cent bought cheaper, less-preferred items, 44.3 per cent skipped a meal some days, and 12.5 per cent reported not eating at all some days. For other items, 51 per cent had no money to buy medicines, but 76 per cent reported having access to personal protective equipment (PPE), either procured individually, or obtained from local charity or organizations. Another worry was local status registration: 28 per cent had not been able to register with UNHCR to acquire refugee status, or renew their UNHCR card. It is worth mentioning that one respondent reported having been detained for not having this form of ID. In what way was your employment affected? (Lost employment, days/hours reduced, forced unpaid leave). The survey contained several questions about assistance. The word 'assistance' was left open to interpretation, to avoid signalling any particular type and to capture an impression. Respondents were first asked if they had received any assistance from any organization (NGO, community groups) or independent people, during this period: 57 per cent stated receiving assistance and 43 per cent stated not receiving any. The next question was 'what kind of help have you received?'. Respondents were given non-mutually exclusive options including 'other' and 'none': 40 per cent responded 'none' and 57 per cent mentioned food. A small proportion also mentioned hygiene items, medicine, cash, and 'other'. The next question allowed respondents to indicate source of assistance. Thirty-one respondents stated receiving no help, 30 received assistance from individuals (friends, relatives, neighbours), 12 independent religious organizations, 6 indicated the Red Cross and 6 LWC, and UNHCR 3 respondents (Figure 3) . Open-ended questions were used to assess how respondents felt at the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, when learning that UNHCR and LWC offices were closed. The majority (74 per cent) reported being affected by closures, and gave different reasons (see Table 1 ). In the last section of the open-ended part, respondents were asked to state freely: what worries you the most? ( Table 2) . The last closed question, as a summary, was asking whether assistance received from key organizations was adequate, insufficient, seriously insufficient/absent (Figure 4) . This survey confirmed fears about the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the Venezuelan community, reflected by reduced concrete means -income, essential items-and increased fears -of eviction, of hunger, of not having their refugee cards, of not being able to help those back home. It also highlights disruptions in humanitarian assistance to refugees and migrants, often presented as For many, UNHCR and LWC office closures 'until further notice' increased a feeling of vulnerability, and actually disrupted what was already seen as weak, sporadic assistance. In this survey, 21 per cent of respondents stated they received 'very little help' during UNHCR/LWC office closures. Five respondents spontaneously pointed to aid deficiencies prior to the COVID-19 crisis, and one respondent stated, in relation to agencies whose main role is supporting refugees and migrants: 'Sometimes I do not know what to say, because every time I needed them the most, they never helped . . .'. In TTO, UNHCR did recognize the crisis as a 'mass loss of income' (UNHCR COVID-19 Response 2020). In this COVID-19 response report, UNHCR described three extra hotlines, stating 1,111 calls were received. Coinciding with data on this survey, callers requested mostly food and cash-based assistance (CBI). This report speaks of a 'revised criteria for administering CBI to ensure that very limited resources could still provide assistance to the most affected families' (p. 1) (UNHCR COVID-19 Response 2020) failing to clarify how criteria were revised when funding runs low, especially to determine who was 'most affected'. It also says that 'a contactless modality option for delivering CBI to families is being explored. . .' with no further details. Although social distancing would impose some restrictions on face-to-face transactions, these were not impossible, as banks continued to operate, and indeed, some CBI continued intermittently from LWC. However, the responses collected to this survey suggest that help was either insufficient during the crisis, or was insufficient before. Since one criterion to identify the 'most vulnerable' is number of dependents, the author compared respondents' declared dependents against help received. In this survey, 76 respondents (86 per cent) had two or more dependents, and yet, only 3 stated having received food assistance from UNHCR/LWC and only one (a 32-year-old woman with four dependents) stated also receiving COVID-19 cash assistance 'that was not received before'. This same respondent actually stated that help received was 'seriously insufficient'. In the sample, there were 39 other women, Table 2 What Worries You the Most? What worries me the most? 'To have no place to live, and not be able to send money to my family in Venezuela' 'Everything worries me because I live with my family and they depend on me' 'That my family die of hunger in Venezuela as they depend on me' 'I am desperate; I do not know what will happen to me or my family' 'To get a job as soon as possible so that I can pay my debts and send money to my children and mother in Venezuela' 'We are going to die of hunger and on the street. . .' 'Health and work' aged from 21 to 54, who indicated three or more dependents, 11 of whom stated receiving no help at all, and of the remaining 28, the majority (22; 80 per cent) did receive help but from independent individuals or church organizations. Although this time-limited survey cannot be considered representative of the Venezuelan refugee and migrant population in TTO, it does raise important questions about the adequacy of the COVID-19 response of organizations whose raison d' eˆt re is helping refugees and migrants. Since this remote survey did not require major resources and was safe, timely, and sensitive, it cannot pass unnoticed that these organizations had not embarked on such a timely task. It also highlights a perceived inadequate, sporadic, unpredictable assistance, especially in confusing times, like the COVID-19 pandemic. Venezuelan migrants and refugees, some with unregistered children with health problems, little cash to buy food, and no cash to pay rent, cannot be reasonably asked to 'stay at home' like the rest of the population, and simply assume they would be able to do so. Although COVID-19 pandemic motivated unprecedented Government measures to protect everyone's health, it remains to be seen if the health of this particularly vulnerable community was not actually more affected by 'lockdown' massive loss of income, and the hesitant response from major organizations, than the virus itself, especially in view of the lower risk of serious disease with COVID-19 for a young migrant population. This seems reflected in one response: 'we are going to die of hunger and on the streets . . .' (see Table 2 ). A possible explanation for these survey responses has to do with lack of funding (R4V 2020b). The annual R4V pre-COVID-19 financial requirement for TTO was stated at USD 14.3 million, at the beginning of 2020 (R4V 2020f). According to the latest R4V RMRP 2020 update, 11th of June, Trinidad had received USD 1.6 million, substantially less than originally requested. Of this, UNHCR, received USD 700,000, closely followed by UNICEF with USD 652,505 (R4V 2020c; UNOCHA Financial Tracking Services 2020). UNHCR notes a funding gap of 48 per cent (UNHCR COVID-19 Response 2020). However, a multi-agency response plan should be coordinated between agencies. UNICEF's R4V stated activities in TTO are mostly psychosocial and educational, like remote psychological support, tablets for online education, facilitators' salaries, etc. and remained essentially the same during lockdown (R4V 2020e). Given unprecedented massive loss of income, it could be asked whether agencies in the R4V platform should have shifted budgets to more urgent priorities, like securing food and shelter. Concerns about coordination problems and territoriality between agencies in humanitarian responses is a well-known and discussed topic in literature (Robinson 2012; Shelly Culbertson 2016; Davies 2002) . Humanitarian crises seem to be becoming more complex and more frequent. International organizations and NGO's will continue to demand resources to implement response plans. Yet, these responses need to actually meet the needs of refugees and migrants, as they themselves see them. For this, agencies need to include refugees and migrants as active participants and decision-makers in programmes for refugees and migrants. Online surveys provide rich data; are inexpensive, safe, and simple to execute. They provide valuable feedback for organizations to assess programme impact and needs, and give refugees and migrants a voice they otherwise do not have. The picture that emerges from this survey is inconsistent with a successful response to the COVID-19 crisis. It raises a question about rearrangement of funding priorities according to capabilities of R4V partners. Funding shortages are frequently cited, but, in any case, funding is likely to be always insufficient. Then: should the R4V focus be on using available funds more efficiently? Should refugees and migrants have a stake in deciding what interventions are of value to them, especially in times of crisis? And finally, in view of the 'new normal' of protracted COVID-19 crisis, should R4V partners reduce overheads, to channel whatever resources are available directly towards the welfare of these vulnerable communities? Deportation of 82 Venezuelans violates human rights obligations CNC3 (2020) Religious Bodies Receive Funding for Food Support. CNC3, 5 May The Administration of International Organizations; Top Down and Bottom Up Ministry of Finance Covid-19 Social Support Assistance Guidelines and Application Forms R4V (2020a) RMRP Caribbean End of Year Report R4V (2020c) Funding Update-RMRP 2020 R4V (2020d) R4V-Situation Report-Trinidad and Tobago R4V (2020e) R4V Situation Report-Trinidad and Tobago R4V (2020f) RMRP-Trinidad and Tobago Situation Report R4V (2020g) RMRP 2020-Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela 2020 R4V (2020h) RMRP 2020-Trinidad and Tobago One Pager REFUGEES INTERNATIONAL (2019) Forced into Illegality Why Nations Fail Rethinking Coordination of Services to Refugees in Urban Areas UNHCR COVID-19 RESPONSE (2020) Trinidad & Tobago COVID-19 Response UNHCR PUBLIC NOTICE (2020) Important Public Notices World Food Programme Supplementary data are available at Journal of Refugee Studies online.