A dream deferred


Viviana was 24 years old when she received her dental license in Venezuela.


She worked different jobs to put herself through university. She had a new apartment and a bright future in one of Venezuela’s large cities.


That was before hyperinflation wrecked Venezuela’s economy. Before food shortages, lack of medical supplies and political violence threatened the lives of millions.


She now lives in Brazil, joining approximately 168,000 Venezuelans who’ve fled to that country.


When she first arrived in Boa Vista, Brazil, in 2016, she had saved enough money to afford a small apartment. Fearing for her family’s security, she returned to Venezuela soon afterward to bring her mother. But, as the crisis deepened and the influx of refugees grew, circumstances changed.


Unable to find sufficient work to keep paying rent, Viviana and her mother were forced to seek shelter elsewhere.


Now, they live at one of UNHCR’s 13 shelter facilities in the north of Brazil. Viviana and her mother share a Refugee Housing Unit (RHU)—a 17.5 square-metre shelter built from steel and plastic—with another woman who recently arrived. The RHU also features lockable doors and mosquito netting for safety, as well as solar-powered LED lights and plugs to charge electronic devices.


In the shelter facility, Viviana lives alongside hundreds of other Venezuelans who once led lives not so different than hers: They studied to earn university degrees. They worked hard to establish a profession. They are professionals like her who had to make the unimaginable choice to leave their country amidst catastrophic circumstances.


There’s a difference between this life and the one Viviana had once embarked upon. It still feels interrupted. And she still wishes that, someday, her dream can continue.


“I want to go back to a better Venezuela—not this Venezuela,” she said. “I want to thank UNHCR for the different ways they’ve helped. It’s not help forever. It’s just help to go on a little, for a while.”


“Our work is really helping people”


Rafael Levy is the head of UNHCR’s field unit in Pacaraima, in northern Brazil, situated on the border with Venezuela. He shares some insight into UNHCR’s work on the ground supporting Venezuelans who have fled to the region.


What is a typical day for you?


At 7:45 a.m. we have our daily team meeting. We provide information, updates and distribute tasks. At 8 a.m., we open the registration and documentation centre (and) start receiving people.


We provide them with documentation, information about Brazil, their rights as asylum seekers. We provide them with information about the process. They can request asylum here at the border.


Registration, for us, is a protection tool. We identify people with very big vulnerabilities who cannot stay on the streets, otherwise they might die. We refer them to a transit shelter located here on the border, then transfer them to one of the shelters we have in Boa Vista, which is 200 kilometres south, which is a large city with more capacity to receive them.


What keeps you going under such difficult circumstances?


The amazing thing that keeps me motivated is that I can see that our work is really helping people and really making lives better.


What would you like to tell UNHCR supporters about the importance of supporting families fleeing from Venezuela?


For me, the situation in Venezuela is one of the worst forced migration crises we have seen in Latin America. People are crossing the border because they need to save their lives and the lives of their families. They’re often crossing the whole country on foot, facing dangerous journeys, facing enormous threats from armed groups and others there to block them and make their journey more difficult. They have no alternative.


Being able to provide resources and support for these people is essential. It’s life-saving.


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To learn more about UNHCR’s work with Venezuelan refugees and how you can help, please visit unhcr.ca/venezuela


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