Migrating across Amazonia:
Carmen’s story
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| Carmen at the Carits reception centre |
Thousands of people cross the Amazon rainforest every day,
leaving their home behind them in search of a better future. Many of them are
from Venezuela. They set their sights on Ecuador, where migration reception
policies are among the most liberal in Latin America. This is the story of one
of them, Carmen, who left Venezuela with her baby son.
Mario Galgano - Quito
Caritas Ecuador first opened the door to Carmen and her
child. Situated on the outskirts of Quito, in the north-west of Amazonia,
Caritas has created a refugee reception center that can accommodate about 40
people. The peculiarity of this center is that the refugees can stay there for
a maximum of three days, just long enough to arrange the documents of entry and
stay. The reception policy in Ecuador is so efficient that it usually takes
just a few days for refugees to have the papers necessary to find housing and
employment.
Venezuela to Ecuador via Colombia
This is how Carmen tells her story: "I ran away for
economic reasons. I lived in Venezuela with my three children and my brother.
We left Cúcuta and walked for 17 days, mainly through Colombia. Everyone helped
me along the way. We were stuck at the Colombian border for 19 days because we
did not have an entry visa and they would not let us through. So we decided to
continue our journey through the forest in order to get to Ecuador. When we
arrived here at the reception center, I did not know it was a place for
refugees. A woman knew about our journey. Like an angel sent by God, she found
us in a park where we were staying, and helped contact this center. Thanks to
her, this is where we are here now”.
Carmen with her child
Hopes and nostalgia
Carmen does not like to talk about politics. She is not
particularly interested in the subject. The only thing she wants, and hopes
for, is to be able to return to her country as soon as possible. In the
meantime, she is very grateful for the support given by Ecuadorians to the
refugees:
"You cannot imagine the suffering during the journey.
It was the child I was carrying in my arms, and the other two beside me, that
encouraged me to go on. But it was very hard. There were times when I would
have liked to go back, like the night when my child had a fever. My home is in
Venezuela, but thank God, we have a place we can stay and we have food. And
thank God there are people who help and support us”.
Carmen’s parents are dead, but she has many friends in
Venezuela. She feels great nostalgia for her home and for all those she loves.
But she has the serenity to see her experience as a new opportunity for her and
her children, even for the youngest who still does not understand what is
happening around him:
"He doesn't know how wonderful it is to be in your own
home, among your own people, to live in peace. And even if I'm here with some
relatives abroad, I miss my country very much too”.
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