"No one crosses that jungle without a dream”- braving the Darien Gap in search of a better future

Karen is one of the hundreds of thousands of people that risk their lives every year trying to cross the infamous Darién Gap, one of the most dangerous journeys in the world. Karen left her life and her son behind in Colombia to provide him with a better future. "No one crosses that jungle without a dream and a goal, and mine is Dylan," says Karen.

Like her, people are crossing the jungle in search of safety and opportunity. This trip takes between seven and fourteen days, travelling through dense tropical forest. On their route, they will not find drinking water, mobile phone signal or places to buy food. Nor will they find medical centres.

Since 2022, there has been an increase in the number of migrants and asylum seekers travelling northwards through Central America. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the deterioration of economic and social conditions throughout Latin America have had an influence on the movement of people in the region.

To respond to the humanitarian needs of growing numbers of people crossing the Darien Gap, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) scaled up its action in collaboration with the Panamanian Red Cross. The priority of the Red Cross is caring for the health, dignity and safety of the people embarking on this hazardous journey. In the last two years, this life-saving work has been further strengthened by the support of the European Union in context of the Programmatic Partnership - an innovative global programme to accelerate local action in the face of humanitarian and health crises. The programme is built on five pillars, one of which is humanitarian assistance and protection to people on the move.

The Red Cross offers safe spaces in its Humanitarian Service Points (HSP) throughout the route, where people receive protection services and trusted information, so they continue their journey as safely as possible. “I have been in the Darien Gap for six days with two pregnant ladies. We do not know where we are going. Here (in the HSP) we feel safe, because we feel like humans,” explains Francis, a migrant from Sierra Leone. In the HSP they received a bag with sanitary products including toilet paper, a toothbrush, soap and a towel. 

People also have access to first aid and healthcare at the HSP, including maternal care for pregnant and nursing women, and infant healthcare for children. This support was essential for Angel and her family, as they were travelling with a nine-year-old boy and a nine-month-old baby.

The humanitarian response is also focused on the distribution of clean water. When talking about her stay at the HSP, Yennifer mentions how relieved she was when she had access to drinking water and water to take a shower.

Displacement can put significant psychological stress on individuals and families. Proper mental health care empowers people to cope with these challenges. With this aim, the Red Cross provides mental health and psychosocial support to people in migration. At the HSP, people have access to psychologists. “Simple things like accompanying them, talking to them, guiding them, can help a lot,” says Christine Murillo, Operational Assistant in Darien, Panamanian Red Cross.

The HSP and the Red Cross staff provide critical assistance to people who take to the road on extremely arduous and dangerous journeys. Without them, the journey of a lot of people would be even harder.