Diary of Humanitarian Roraima Mission – Dec 8

Thursday, December 8

Raising of donations of fruits and greens in different places of the city of Boa Vista and fixing of lunch in the CRI – Center of Reference to the Immigrant.

Help in the referral of Cuban and Venezuelan immigrants who needed to return to their countries.

Teachers and students of Graduation of Sociology went to the CRI, to give support to the immigrants in the issue of documentation.

Health assistance
Attendance in the CRI refers the serious cases of health to the General Hospital of Roraima.

Vania Pettersen, a voluntary doctor of the Humanitarian Roraima Mission, does the attendance in one of the offices of the truck of the Health Secretary of Boa Vista, parked beside the CRI. The services are for the Indigenous and non-Indigenous refugees from Venezuela and from other countries such as Haiti and Cuba. Vania explains that the refugees come to Brazil alone or with their family.

“Many of them come to sell the artisanship they make, they earn some Money and buy necessary things for the family, they do not stay a long time here. They come and go many times. But the youngers ones look for a job and intend to go to other cities of Brazil”, she explains.

Vania said that the health conditions of the refugees has been very precarious, especially concerning hygiene: “We have even attended cases of tuberculosis, both in adults and in children, with referral to internship in hospitals”.

Another serious problem detected by the missionaries concerns malnutrition. The children are undernourished and injured due to overexposition to the sun.

“In the work with the children we perceive a very great sweetness and purity. The activity of painting in the faces help a lot in this contact, many of them come alone for the attendance”, said Vania.