South America has been severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The damage done to its economies by the pandemic is the main force pushing thousands of migrants, mainly Haitians, Cubans and Venezuelans, to cross the dangerous Darién jungle. In June, Panama recorded 11,000 migrants entering the country from Colombia. Each had to risk their lives crossing a jungle of mountains and sudden swollen rivers, where criminal gangs prey on people and assault and rape are common occurrences.

Faced with this situation, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) began activities in May in Bajo Chiquito, the first Panamanian town that migrants arrive at after crossing the Darién jungle, and in the nearby government-run migrant reception centres in San Vicente and Lajas Blancas.