AVSI Brasil will host two events in Brasilia to share reflections on the migration experience of Venezuelan refugees and migrants, from crossing the border in Pacaraima (RR) to achieving autonomy in Brazil, thanks to integration activities implemented by the project
“Welcomed Through Work”, funded by the US State Department Bureau for Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM). 

On September 28, a seminar entitled The Journey of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants Towards Autonomy in Brazil will bring together organizations that work with refugees and migrants, like the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and Operation Welcome. Bertha Maakaroun, political scientist and technical director of Pólis Pesquisa, will present her analysis of the project’s impact on Venezuelan integration in Brazil in its first two years. 

On the evening of September 29, AVSI Brasil will open the exhibit Welcomed: A Journey from Venezuela to Integration in Brazil, with photographs taken by award-winning photographer Antonello Veneri, hosted by the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center (CCBB). The event will be by invitation only. The exhibition will be open to the public starting September 30. Welcomed illustrates the path taken by hundreds of Venezuelan families who arrived in Brazil in search of shelter and new opportunities. 

Throughout the exhibition, visitors will contemplate photographs and portraits and read testimonies from refugees and migrants. In addition, audiovisual resources provide a profound reflection on the theme of migration in Brazil. The exhibition also has an educational room, where activities for children will be held. In the same space, the visitor can watch videos with testimonials from the photographer. Veneri talks about his work behind the lenses. The video also showcases testimonies by AVSI Brasil collaborators, who speak about the humanitarian work carried out in the reception centers in Roraima.