Bogotá, Colombia, May 18, 2021 — More than one year into the COVID-19 global pandemic, education services in Colombia continue to be significantly disrupted, putting both Colombian and migrant children at risk of being set back years. According to a recent study, 98 million children in Latin America have already missed an average of 110 days of school due to COVID-19—three times more than in Western Europe. There are approximately 1.8 million Venezuelan children and adolescents living in crisis and facing significant challenges accessing quality education. Marianne Menjivar, Director of the Venezuela Crisis Response at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), said: “The ability to participate in remote learning during the pandemic is a privilege for children that have laptops or cellphones, whose parents work from home, have time to guide them through the lessons, and can afford to pay for a reliable internet service. For those who don’t, like the millions of Venezuelan families on the move, keeping up with their studies is an unrealistic possibility. International funding and collaboration are necessary to implement programs that provide children with access to quality education.”