Felix, Kimberlin, Osmariel, and Osmarlyn are the new residents of AIRE. They are Venezuelans and arrived on September 14th. Like many Venezuelans, they came to Brazil in search of a better quality of life and more opportunities for their two daughters, aged 8 and 10. Felix reports that he worked very hard in Venezuela, but his salary was not enough to meet the family’s basic needs. They arrived here with the plan to start over, rebuild their dreams, and hope for a better future.
Felix arrived first, two years ago, and was in Boa Vista, where he worked at a car wash. After a year working in Brazil, he was able to bring his wife and daughters from Venezuela. Besides the pursuit of a more promising future, another reason they crossed the border was to seek medical treatment for one of the girls, who suffered a severe burn on her torso and chest and needs surgery. Access to medical care in Venezuela is very difficult, and they could not afford the surgery costs. In Boa Vista, however, care through the SUS (Brazilian’s Public Health System) was also limited, so the family decided to come to São Paulo for Osmarlyn’s recovery.
Kimberlin shares that her dream is for her daughters to attend college and have all the opportunities that she herself was denied. She also dreams of having their own home where they can build memories of a united and happy family—a hardworking family that has faced great challenges to get here but is determined to succeed.
We are rooting for you!
