Migration Stories: The difficult and dangerous journey of Venezuelans through Ecuador

Alexander Darin takes a deep breath, carries a backpack with his belongings on his shoulder, and walks across the Rumichaca International Bridge, the main border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador in the Andes Mountains.

Pushing his three-year-old daughter Zoe’s stroller, Alexander, his wife Francis, their 12-year-old daughter Saemi and their puppy are making the 5,000-kilometre journey from Venezuela to Chile, where they hope to get a job as a cook.

“The journey has been hard, every day we feel cold and hungry. And it’s hard to get a lift”, says Alexander totally exhausted.

They left Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, a month earlier, without money for transportation. He hopes to be successful with his family on this trip to Chile, which they are doing “step by step”, selling candies on the streets of the cities through which they pass and now they have landed in Tulcán, in Ecuador.

Mixed migratory flows of Venezuelans to neighboring countries have not stopped, although they are not as intense as in other times. More than a quarter of a million people passed through Ecuador in 2022, according to local authorities. From there, they transit through South America heading north, passing through formal border crossings.

The walkers

Walkers (this is how they are known) travel thousands of miles on foot, along highways, through dangerous terrain and severe weather conditionsrunning the risk of all kinds of dangers and threats, including those from criminal groups and traffickers.

The risks are especially high for young women and families with young children. Many make this journey in flip flops (sandals), T-shirts and shorts. They walk and ask to be taken for months along the mountain roads that connect cities like Bogotá, Quito and Lima with Santiago de Chile and Buenos Aires.

At more than 3,000 meters above sea level, the route between the Colombian border and Tulcán is covered in an icy mist and presents extremely low temperatures. Fabio*, a 27-year-old Venezuelan from Valencia, tries to stop passing trucks in the hope that they will take him. He has been promised a job in Peru and wants to send money back to the family he has left behind.

“It is not possible to have a life in Venezuela, there is no way to make ends meet. I’m just looking for a better future”, says Fabio after having slept for weeks on the sidewalk, having to face the intense nighttime temperatures that usually drop to five degrees Celsius.

The teams of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) drive a humanitarian motorhome every day along the routes from Tulcán to the Colombian border, providing migrants in transit with food packages, water, hygiene kits, winter gear and information about the routes ahead.

The border is quite permeable; It is estimated that close to 1,500 Venezuelans enter Ecuador each month through irregular crossing points in search of better living conditions.

This map presents an overview of migration routes in South America and is presented for illustrative purposes only. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM International or the UN.

A bed for the night

At the end of a long and dangerous journey, there is a light of hope. The Hotel Quito, in the border city of Tulcán, is a temporary shelter supported by IOM. As night falls, the lodge slowly fills up with young couples, families with children, and lone walkers. They have access to a shelter to spend the night, medical and psychological assistance and three hot meals a day.

At the shelter, a very tired-looking man and his family of four stand in the reception center, alongside other exhausted walkers. José* has a history of struggle and despair, and also of strong will and determination.

He was kidnapped at the Colombian border and separated from his family for 24 hours. Now, they only dream of starting a new life in Peru.

“When you hear your children tell you – ‘Dad, I’m hungry’ – and you don’t have anything to give them, it’s really sad. “It was also very hard having to leave my two oldest children in Venezuela,” says José with a lump in his throat.

Venezuelans travel hundreds of kilometers on foot, exposing themselves to all kinds of threats.

If you don’t take risks, you get nothing.

His wife, María*, sits with their children in the middle of a pile of bags containing their belongings. They have been walking non-stop for 12 hours.

“Walking is really a sacrifice, but what we do is for our children to be better. If you don’t take risks, he doesn’t get anything”, he says.

Maribel, 29 years old and from Barinas, together with her seven-year-old daughter Victoria, spent a year in Bogotá where they survived by selling food on the streets. Now they have found refuge in a temporary shelter and hope to open a street food stall near the border, with seed capital and entrepreneurial support from IOM.

“I have always been a hard worker and I don’t like not having anything to give my daughter“, bill.

More than 7.1 million people have left Venezuela, in one of the largest population movements in Latin American history. Approximately half a million Venezuelans live in Ecuador.

Having regained their strength after a night in the hostel, Alexander, Francis, Zoe and Saemi set out again on foot for Chile, with their backpacks full of illusions. On the road ahead they will have to overcome formidable geographical obstacles and fight hard in their quest for a better life, a journey that must be fueled by determination and courage. “We will be able to arrive with all our potential, hoping that someone will give us that supportive hand that we will need to be able to progress”, Alexander remarks as he says goodbye.

*Some names have been changed for protection reasons.

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