Some of AIRE’s projects start as a small idea, a suggestion from someone who has a talent and wants to put it to good use, and someone willing to make it happen. This is how our sewing studio came about. A former resident of AIRE, who was a seamstress in her home country, wanted to …
J. and M. live in Santo André, in greater São Paulo. One day when they were in their car and stopped at a traffic light in São Bernardo do Campo, a neighboring city, they met Raul who was selling candy to support his family. They decided to stop and park to talk and learn a …
As our work grows and becomes better known, requests for help also increase. And unfortunately at AIRE we have a space limit that prevents us from offering the opportunity for a fresh start to more refugees who are seeking to fulfill their dream of rebuilding their lives in Brazil. In a meeting with social workers …
Hernán, Frannys and Allan are from Isla Margarita in Venezuela, a place with beautiful beaches where Hernan worked as a sailor and cook on tourist boats. However, with the serious crisis in the country, life became increasingly difficult until they found themselves with no other alternative than to abandon their homeland and try to start …
The Yaqoobi family came from the city of Bamyar in Afghanistan. Sharif, the father, worked for the previous government and with the Taliban taking power, his life was put in danger and his family began to be persecuted. Masooma, the mother, was a teacher, and with the new government she not only lost her job, …
Roh Ullah, Shahnaz and their children Aylin and Aryan arrived in Brazil in December 2023. They left Afghanistan for the same reason that thousands of other people have fled the country. The change of government brought insecurity, persecution, lack of resources and the loss of freedom of expression for the population. Their first step was …
Christmas has different meanings for each person. The essence is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, but it is also a time to reunite the family, to be grateful for the year that has passed, and to exercise empathy and solidarity. And for AIRE residents, Brazilian Christmas is even more special. For those who …
Sama arrived in Brazil at the end of 2022. She is Palestinian and came with her husband and two daughters looking for a place to build a future for their family. They arrived here without knowing our culture, our language and without having any idea what the next few months would be like in a …
The city of Manaus has a special place in my heart. After leaving Venezuela in 2019 with the hope of building a better future for my family, it was my first home. Manaus is one of the cities with the highest concentration of Venezuelan immigrants in Brazil, and, therefore, one of the cities that is …
Abel and Melissa’s family is from Maturín, Venezuela. They had a small business and worked in the food sector. However, with the crisis in the country and the difficult economic situation they were facing, they decided to come to Brazil with the hope of building a better future for their two sons, Miguel and Aaron. …
