Five stories of Venezuelan refugees and migrants who study Portuguese to build their future in Brazil



In the last week, Portuguese courses for Venezuelan refugees and migrants who are in shelters and spontaneous occupations in Roraima were resumed. The courses are carried out with technological resources and with the support of instructors and facilitators in a virtual and face-to-face way.

 

The classes are made up of Venezuelans of different ages, in small groups and with constant hygiene and wearing masks, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization to prevent and face the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yalethe Toledo, 49 years old - from Zaraza, Venezuela

The Venezuelan community leader and student of Portuguese, “I feel that every word I speak in Portuguese is a step forward in my life,” says Yalethe, who has been in Brazil with her family for just over a year.

“We suffered a lot in Venezuela, we couldn't stay behind. We are very warriors, we come to fight to build a new future. Being here is a victory and I hope to learn Portuguese to better understand Brazilians and integrate well in the country ”.

Yalethe is a pastor and community leader in the spontaneous Aprisco occupation in Boa Vista. In addition to reinforcing the importance of the Portuguese course for her community, Yalethe is one of the students of the course.

“The words I speak come from my heart. ‘God bless you’ is a phrase that means a lot to me in this new life in Brazil. We are very grateful for all the support and for being here together ”.

Lenismar Gil, 22 years old - from Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela

“A word that I really like in Portuguese is 'saudade', which reminds me of loved ones in Venezuela,” Lenismar recalls. She and her two children have lived in Boa Vista for 1 year.

“I tried to learn Portuguese on the streets. But nobody explained things to me, I didn't know what the words meant, I learned little, because I lacked didactics. Now with the courses, I am understanding and progressing better ”.

Lenismar is studying Portuguese in the temporary shelter Rondon 3. “For me, the language is a tool to overcome obstacles, I dream of studying and working as a nurse. The desire is to work in other states further south of Brazil ”.

 

Mary José Lopez, 35, and Erismar Velázques, 20, from Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela

Friends Mary José and Erismar share their experiences as Portuguese students at the temporary shelter Rondon 3. © UNHCR / Lucas Novaes

Friends Mary José and Erismar arrived in Pacaraima, on the border of Brazil and Venezuela, in February 2020. Since March 2020, they have lived together in one of the housing units of the Rondon 3 shelter.

Mary José highlights the difficulty of learning Portuguese on a daily basis, without professional help. “We couldn't learn before coming here, I didn't have the opportunity to study. So we are making the most of this course ”.

“Besides learning more about culture through Portuguese, it will help me get a job. I thank the teachers and the support. The course is spectacular and I am really enjoying the classes. I longed to study something new ”.

Erismar, who is more shy, says that Brazilians speak very fast. “I want to get a good job, but I need to understand Brazilians better. When I go out to the streets I find it difficult to understand people. Pronunciation is something we need to practice more ”.

When asked for a word in Portuguese that she loves, Mary José immediately mentions “brasiliro”. Her friend Erismar says she really likes the word “beauty”.

Jhon Jesus Gonzalez Pérez, 21 years old - Warao Indigenous from Tucupita, Venezuela

Since August 2019, Jhon has lived with his parents, wife and two children in the Pintolândia shelter. For his future in Brazil, he thinks about graduating and working to support his family. According to his Portuguese teachers, Jhon is very diligent and curious about the language.

“If I learn more, I will have a better chance to build a future for my family here. I need to lose my fear of speaking, so I can also look for a better job, ”he says.

“One of my daughters was born here in Brazil. Then he will speak three languages: Spanish, the language of our Warao people and Portuguese. As a parent, I must help him to have these languages, they are an important knowledge ”.

“The pronunciation of the 't' in Brazil changes a lot compared to Venezuela. So I really like the word 'people' in Portuguese, mainly because of the way Brazilians pronounce it. "

 

José Gregorio Cabrera, 43, and Gricel García, 33 - from Barcelona, ​​Venezuela

The couple José and Gricel are Venezuelan teachers with visual disabilities. "Leaving Venezuela with our condition was a survival challenge," says José. In Venezuela, they worked to strengthen skills in the use of technology and learning Braille for other people with visual disabilities. Today, the couple lives in the Rondon 2 shelter together with Gricel's mother, who accompanied them on their trip to Brazil in November 2019.

The couple attend the Portuguese course and practice pronunciation daily at the hostel. Gricel comments on the difficulty of finding materials in Braille to support his learning of Portuguese. "Although there are not many books in Braille to learn Portuguese, we use many applications by cell phone to translate lines, texts and even follow teaching tutorials on YouTube."

José points out that, for the couple, technologies are important allies in learning. “Thanks to technologies, we can be independent. In addition, we can also support other people ”.

"The purpose of learning Portuguese is to be part of Brazilian society," says José. “Language is a crucial tool to establish ourselves here. Now we need to adapt to be able to build a future with the Brazilians. We have training and we want to contribute so that other people with conditions like ours can be independent and find good jobs

”The student couple inspires with their strength and endurance. The determination and purpose of educators José and Gricel are evident in their perseverance and pursuit of learning. The Portuguese words chosen by the couple were to thank the Brazilian people. Gricel says “much blessing”, while José ends his speech saying “thank you very much people from Brazil”.


From: https://www.acnur.org/noticias/historia/2020/8/5f36b5304/cinco-historias-de-refugiados-y-migrantes-venezolanos-que-estudian-portugues.html

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