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 from the Diadema CRAS (Social Assistance Reference Center) we received the information that at least 900 Venezuelans had already declared residence in the municipality, and that many of them are in a vulnerable situation. And from the desire to help that has driven us since the founding of AIRE, the Vecinos Project emerged. The word “vecinos” in Spanish means neighbors and the purpose of this project is to support refugee and migrant families in vulnerable situations who live in the area.
They do not live in our house, but they benefit from the services of our support network. They receive our help to regularize their Brazilian documentation, when searching for a job, and get a monthly grocery basket for the period they are with us.
One of them is the Borgues family. They are Venezuelan and arrived in Brazil at the end of 2023. They are a family of 6 people and Neumam, the father of the family, has a disability that limits his mobility. He had a pair of crutches, but his wheelchair was broken, which made his daily life very difficult. They were integrated into AIRE through the Vecinos Project and we have already seen big changes in the family’s life. In addition to having their documents up to date, Neuman received the donation of a wheelchair from a great supporter of AIRE. Nairobis, his wife, got a job through one of AIRE’s partners, and with the increase in the family’s income they were able to take another step on the path to building a future in Brazil.
If you are interested in supporting this project and being part of transforming more lives, contact us!
