Stories of migration: Relocation in Brazil, synonymous with hope for Venezuelan migrants

While packing his belongings in a suitcase hours before leaving for a new life in Santa Catarina, a state in the south of Brazil, Javier, a 46-year-old Venezuelan, felt a deep sadness: “I am leaving to try to forge a future for my son and my grandchildren. So they can have a good education and a better life than the one I’ve had.”

Along with his son José, 21, his daughter-in-law Deikerson, 20, and their three grandchildren, this man from Ciudad Bolívar, who previously worked as a car mechanic, has been living since 2019 in a humble home in the Brazilian town of Boa Vista. , for which he pays rent of $100. Since then, the family has been able to survive with the help of humanitarian assistance and collecting plastic bottles for recycling.

Now, thanks to the relocation strategy led by the Brazilian Government, Javier is going to start a new job in Santa Catarina. In 24 hours, he will be traveling 5000 kilometers south of Boa Vista heading to his new home where he hopes to bring his family from which he has had to separate.

Sitting together on a bed on the porch outside the house, in an attempt to escape the intense heat, Javier and his son exchange a few words until it is time to say goodbye.

“The worst part of all this is that I am separating from my son and daughter-in-law, and, above all, from my grandchildren,” she said, bowing her face to hide her tears. “But on the other hand, I’m happy because For the first time in my life I will be able to apply my skills in decent workwith a fixed salary at the end of the month”.

Santo, 58, and Mireya, 51, two Venezuelan migrants trying to reunite with their only son and grandchildren who have lived in the state of Santa Catalina since 2021.

The “interiorization” strategy, which works with the support of IOM and other UN agencies, helps refugees and migrants from Venezuela to start anew.

Government plan, UN aid

Assisting thousands of Venezuelans so that they can fly from distant Roraima to other cities with better job prospects, the ‘interiorization’ strategy that works with the help of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and other United Nations agencies, is in charge of helping refugees and migrants from Venezuela so that they can start over in Brazil.

This voluntary relocation program, which is part of Operation Reception (the Brazilian Government’s humanitarian response plan), provides a lifeline and promotes integration by helping people they can have new job opportunities or meet with families or friends in other parts of the country. In the last five years, more than 100,000 people have been able to be relocated to more than 930 cities in this country with an area similar to that of a continent.

Pedro, 26, and Loriuska, 19, a young Venezuelan couple starting a new life together in southern Brazil.

Be reborn

Pedro, 26, and Loriuska, 19, are a young Venezuelan couple who have started a new life together in southern Brazil, with job opportunities on the horizon.

“For us it has been like being rebornsince we will not be on the street again, we will have a place to sleep, a bathroom, and we will be able to earn enough money to send a little to our families who have remained in Venezuela,” said Pedro.

“I feel happy because we are heading towards a new future,” Loriuska said before boarding a six-hour flight to Curitiba, in the state of Paraná. “What I want to do the most now is study. I want to make up for lost time.”

People are relocated so that they can join family or friends who are already living in other parts of Brazil. Others are hired before leaving Boa Vista by companies that need labor and a third group is assisted by civil society organizations.

Javier Quintana, a forty-six-year-old Venezuelan, riding a bicycle before leaving for a new life in Santa Catalina, a state in southern Brazil.

brazilian dreams

And they are not alone in what they have come to call “the Brazilian dream”. Since April 2018, the Government of Brasilia has transferred thousands of Venezuelans from border areas subject to great pressure in the north to other cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, offering better opportunities for autonomy and integration. With the help of staff from the International Organization for Migration, migrants and refugees find a place to live as well as job opportunities.

Santo, 58, and Mireya, 51, arrived in Brazil a month ago to join their only son and grandchildren, who have been living in Santa Catarina since 2021. Both they miss their native country, but are very grateful that other countries in the region such as Brazil are receiving Venezuelans.

“Brazil is offering us a new opportunity and we hope to be able to give back everything they are giving us,” Santo said, sitting on a bunk bed in one of the federal shelters in Boa Vista.

His journey began in Temblador, a small rural community in the State of Monagas, in Venezuela. They said goodbye to friends and relatives, sold their longtime home for $300 and headed for the Brazilian border.

Since then, they have been living in a temporary shelter with hundreds of other Venezuelans. “Our lives are suspended in the air, we have nothing”, said the carpenter, hoping that by having a stable job he would be able to access a new home. “I am a professional with 30 years of experience and I can work and progress in this place.”

Santo and Mireya already see Brazil as their second home. “It is fantastic to see that we can be part of the future of this country and that they have accepted us,” Santo said, beaming with happiness as they boarded a flight to Santa Catarina to soon be reunited with her son and his grandchildren.

This report has been written by Gema Cortés, from the IOM Press Unit, Office of the Special Envoy for the Regional Response to the Situation in Venezuela.