In May 2019, as Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis continued to deepen, UNHCR requested emergency.lu support to address critical connectivity gaps in the remote border regions of Apure and Amazonas. These areas, heavily impacted by displacement and deteriorating public services, faced persistent power outages and unreliable telecommunications, making effective humanitarian coordination extremely difficult.
In response, the Government of Luxembourg rapidly deployed a complete emergency.lu VSAT satellite system to the UNHCR field office in Guasdualito. The installation restored stable and independent internet connectivity, supporting UNHCR operations and enabling more than 40 humanitarian partners working to assist approximately 25,300 vulnerable people in the region.
A key feature of the deployment was the establishment of the “Espacio Informático”, a shared connectivity hub powered by a combination of generator and solar energy. This hub provided Wi-Fi access to humanitarian staff and partners, replacing the previous situation where personnel often had to rely on unsecured public or street Wi-Fi to communicate.
The improved connectivity had immediate and wide-ranging impacts:
- Strengthening coordination and service delivery among humanitarian actors
- Enabling Restoring Family Links (RFL) services with the Red Cross
- Supporting education initiatives, including a refugee law diploma programme for youth
- Facilitating UNHCR Learn & Connect digital training programmes
- Enhancing awareness and prevention activities related to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and HIV
