Thousands of venezuelans fled to Brazil throng hostels in city of Boa Vista

xenophobia thrives with exile of venezuela in Brazil

immigrants venezuelans in Brazil: "At least here we can eat every day"

Out of Pacaraima, a few meters from Venezuela, it is great dream of many immigrants once y have managed to put one foot in Brazil. This town, chock full of venezuelans is only first stage of a long journey. The following is Boa Vista, capital of state of Roraima. Leónida and ir three children, Lus, Virginia, and Valentina, of between five and seven years, y slept in a vacant lot two days before you can buy ticket taxi.

"we Brought a keyboard from old computer to sell it, and with what we got, we bought ticket to my mor, who took lead. We want to get out of here because border is dangerous. This night I tried to stay awake to monitor, but at three in morning I fell asleep and n I saw that we opened bag and stole clos of my son Luis," says mor. Meanwhile Luis, oblivious to everything, try offering a fruit juice to a baby a few months old that just woke up between a few cards.

Are more than 200 kilometers to Boa Vista. Many can't afford 50 reais (10 euros) that it's worth taxi and walk for days or wait in Pacaraima doing small jobs until you gar money. THE WORLD accompanies Leónida and ir children travel in car, which has a first stop at little stop behind border. The police registered one by one all suitcases and check that all world between documented: or residence permit, or request for refuge granting UNHCR.

After go-ahead and three-hour car ride listening to funai officer (a kind of country brazilian and reggaeton, we got to Boa Vista. This city, smallest capital of country, does not have precisely appearance of 'promised land'. It is a city of a humble low houses where only live 200,000 inhabitants. According to local government, in peaks of maximum inflow, came to live to 40,000 venezuelans, majority camped in streets. Many were able to go to or cities and now situation is more orderly, in good part thanks to new hostels constructed. In Boa Vista re are nine, and welcome, 4,600 immigrants. Warn of your presence hovels of plastic and cardboard that arise around emerging favelas. In m live venezuelans who expect that within a release of any square. The majority has spent months waiting for.

In hostel Jardim Floresta is supposedly mor of Leónida, but no one can find it. The enclosure is filled with and without her to accompany m rest of family will not be able to enter. If not appears before evening, you will have to go back to sleep under stars. Communications are not easy, hardly anyone has a mobile phone.

In this hostel, situation is especially critical, according to THE WORLD Frangeli, a veteran: "We are well, better than in Venezuela, but we have to leave to find work to be able to buy food, because you give us here sometimes it is rotten (...) only thing cool that dan is apple, which is what I give to my son," says this mor, who regrets that re is no food for babies. Carry on eating same thing from four months ago: rice with sausages and mash, for lunch and for dinner.

In tent, without ventilation and with mats on floor, re are about 50 newborns. Even so, all are tremendously grateful for help y receive.

Frangeli and his family left in a hurry for Venezuela: "The child had an accident in foot, and as re were no antibiotics he was starting to gangrenar". Now she spends day at hostel taking care of him and his mor, who is in a wheelchair, while Robert, her husband, goes out to work. He is a carpenter, and offers to do small quick fixes home, by calling from door to door. "Every day I walk away two hours walking to ask for work in anor neighborhood. Here in this area I can not because re are so many venezuelans that we already have phobia."

Sources from brazilian Army, which is responsible for logistics of hostels in call to 'Operation ' Host', explained to The WORLD that enclosures are full, but not above ir ability, and that y are working to improve facilities. Put as an example new refugee camp opened in late July, a plot of land spacious with 120 huts that is home to 700 people, mostly families. "Here we are much better than on street, but I what I want is to go to or city, here re are too many venezuelans," says Luis Angel Vega, technical computing.

To alleviate situation of border region, Brazil offers aircraft of army to transfer to venezuelan people more vulnerable to or cities. Since n, it has distributed just 690. The program does not just take off because it depends on cities, which should be offered voluntary, and have seats available in ir hostels, and more stringent requirements for venezuelan people. Only y can board those who already have a work permit. The Government claims that you don't want to start handing out venezuelans for Brazil leaving m to ir fate.