Faced with the continuous flow of migrants from Venezuela to Brazil, the Humanitarian Roraima Mission, coordinated by the Fraternity – International Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), continues its actions in Boa Vista, accompanying the challenges and needs of the migrants and indigenous refugees who arrive in the country through Pacaraima, 215 km from the capital of Roraima. The mission continues to join forces to support those in vulnerable situations.
According to data from the IOM, the UN Migration Agency, from January 2017 to November 2024, 910,608 Venezuelan migrants entered Brazilian territory, through the city of Pacaraima, in search of refuge, corresponding to 75% of the total number of immigrants who entered the country during this period.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, in 2024 alone, data from January to August, more than 60,000 refugees and migrants entered Brazil through Pacaraima, representing an average of 250 people a day. Of these, approximately 21,000 are children and adolescents (4-17 years old). Many arrive alone or with people who are not their legal guardians.
The Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI), a long-standing and ongoing initiative of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), in partnership with Operation Welcome, throughout 2024 promoted activities aimed at the integral and socio-interactive development of Venezuelan, Brazilian and Guyanese indigenous people. The CCFI has worked with public institutions, private companies, the Armed Forces, humanitarian and development agencies, and indigenous communities, developing processes of dialogue, interaction and intermediation, always with a view to building solutions and strengthening strategies to ensure that indigenous refugees and migrants have access to their rights.
Activities at the Indigenous Cultural and Training Centre (CCFI) in 2024
The focus of the activities planned at the Roraima Humanitarian Mission for 2024 was entrepreneurship in the three lines of action: Training for Development, Interculturality and Support for Entrepreneurship. In this way, the three areas worked together for the development of entrepreneurs and their needs to move forward.
Entrepreneurship Sector
In February, the following courses were held at CCFI in partnership with other institutions: Social Networks and Marketplace Notions, Entrepreneurship, Pricing, as well as personalized mentoring and consulting. The main objectives of this initiative were to stimulate an entrepreneurial vision in indigenous artisans and to make a significant contribution to the inclusion of these migrants in the highly competitive sales market. Strategic business management tools were presented and practical lessons were given on how to put them into practice.
On the other hand, the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), in partnership with other organizations, provided personalized support to the entrepreneurs and enabled 18 individual and family businesses to benefit from ongoing mentoring and consultancy, which resulted in the development of effective strategies for each case. The mentoring added value to the products marketed and made it possible for the entrepreneurs to receive inputs and raw materials.
Development Training Sector
In July, a vacation course was held for the indigenous youth of the Macuxi people, from the Normandia community, an initiative that joined forces between the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) and the Arlindo Gastão de Medeiros State Indigenous School. Among the activities offered at the CCFI are: IT, gastronomy, painting, natural pigmentation, logical knowledge and cultural dance.
Between October and November 2024, the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM), through the Intervention in Education in Emergency Situations and Humanitarian Responses sector, promoted the Portuguese Language Literacy course, which combined language teaching with various cultural and creative expression activities for young and adult indigenous Venezuelans from the Taurepang, Akawaio, Eñepa and Warao peoples, with the aim of socio-cultural inclusion, fostering autonomy and self-development, as well as access to the job market.
Interculturality Sector
This year’s intercultural fairs brightened up the days of the more than 14 participating peoples with their attractions. It is notable that the indigenous people see the fairs as an opportunity to meet and socialize with their fellow peoples who live in different locations within the state of Roraima, although they do not want to miss the unique opportunity to sell their handicrafts to visitors on these occasions.
In 2024, there were three editions of the intercultural fair. In addition to the sale of handicrafts, clay pots and musical and dance performances, each one dealt with a different theme and brought peculiarities in terms of strengthening indigenous identity, unity and cultural appreciation:
1 – In March, with the theme “Traditional Indigenous Clothing”, there was the making of clothes from natural cotton by the Wapixana and Macuxi peoples, various sharing and lectures that dealt with the culture and clothing of each people, as well as presentations of the clothing traditionally worn by indigenous ancestors.
2 – In June, with the theme “Indigenous Legends, Tales and Stories”, the meeting featured moments dedicated to the telling of stories and myths by indigenous representatives of different peoples.
3 – In December, with the theme “Culinary Heritage”, traditional dishes were prepared and tasted. With the intention of improving the visibility of the products on offer and facilitating the sale of produce, this was the first fair to be held outside the CCFI’s physical space, in Praça Velia Coutinho, in the center of Boa Vista. Also in this edition, for the first time, the Jiwi people took part and were able to share stories, music and dance from their culture.
It is important to note that throughout the year, the Interculturality sector organized workshops on clay pots, painting, natural pigmentation, cotton and weaving, as well as traditional medicine. The latter brought to the socio-cultural and educational circuit the Entrepreneurial Experience of a Brazilian indigenous group in the process of becoming a cooperative, with the aim of socializing experience and knowledge with indigenous migrants about the process of making traditional medicines, packaging and distributing them to the community in an organized way. This initiative was aimed at awakening them to the opportunity of benefiting their communities on the road to self-sustainability, as well as using the knowledge acquired as a new source of income.
For Rafael Rodríguez, an indigenous Jiwi, the intercultural fairs represent a unique opportunity to help preserve the cultures and ancestral roots of the indigenous peoples who benefit from them. Considering that they are in a situation of refuge, outside their original territory and in a country with a different culture, their traditional knowledge, customs and stories are being valued, “helping the next generations to preserve their identity without losing their culture and so, in any country in geography, we will always know what we are and the people we belong to”.
Evaluating Mission Roraima’s performance in 2024
Three times at the beginning of the year, the Open House took place, a space created to welcome ideas and suggestions from the indigenous participants, providing the basis for planning the next actions. The meeting was attended by indigenous Venezuelan migrants, indigenous Brazilians assisted at the CCFI and a representative of the Humanitarian Logistics Task Force.
A total of 2,672 hours were spent on activities developed by the humanitarian staff of the Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) in 27 courses and workshops in the areas of gastronomy, technology, sewing and entrepreneurship, as well as 3 intercultural fairs and various mentoring and technical advisory meetings, providing 1,292 opportunities for the indigenous people who benefited.
The Education Intervention in Emergencies and Humanitarian Responses sector worked on several occasions through art workshops, well-being, behavioral dynamics, psychosocial support for individuals and groups, as well as literacy, Portuguese, Spanish, Panare (language of the E’ñepa people) and conversation courses.
In 2024, the Cultural Expression Space provided comprehensive education for children and adolescents of the E’ñepa people, including the study of Portuguese, Spanish and Panare.
Comprehensive Education ran for three months, three times a week, resulting in very fruitful training for 28 children and young people between the ages of 8 and 14. The activities developed ranged from play and cognitive activities to those related to daily life, such as brushing teeth.
Between October and November, the Portuguese Language Literacy Course took place at the CCFI. It arose from a demand from the indigenous community itself and had an approach that combined the teaching of the Portuguese language with various cultural and creative activities. In an inclusive way, the course, which lasted 76 hours, exceeded expectations in terms of adherence and achieved its objectives in terms of the autonomy and integration of young indigenous Venezuelans into their new socio-cultural context.
Final thanks
The Fraternity – Humanitarian Missions (FIHM) would like to thank its partner institutions and everyone who, in any way, contributed to the Roraima Mission being able to minimize the negative effects of the humanitarian crisis and improve the living conditions and prospects for the future of the indigenous migrant peoples residing in our country in 2024. At the same time, it reinforces the commitment to continue working for the strengthening of cultural expression, the protection of dignity and fundamental rights and the achievement of socio-economic autonomy for the indigenous peoples represented in the Mission, who this year have gained new faces.
