The numbers of refugees and immigrants are increasing, as well as the precarious situation in which a large number of citizens from different countries currently live in different parts of the world. To date, 79.5 million people have been forced to live far from their homes, according to data released by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Ecuador has the largest number of recognized refugees: 69,524 from more than 60 countries, the majority of whom are Colombians and Venezuelans who arrive at different border zones with hope and the few belongings that they managed to bring from their homelands.
The ADRA South America’s Ecuador unit tirelessly works to serve this vulnerable community by carrying out humanitarian aid projects, chiefly in the cities of Huaquillas and Santo Domingo. The work is undertaken with various local humanitarian agencies as well as the UNHCR itself.
ADRA runs the temporary accommodation center (CAT), where families find living space. The center also provides them with the care they need, to help them find a stable place to start if they choose to remain in Ecuador, and assistance if they need to return to their country of origin. If the situations require it, the center’s workers help the migrants return to their home country.
In times of crisis, many are refugees who spend days walking until they find a place where they can receive help. Esther Bellorín, a Venezuelan who arrived in Ecuador only with her granddaughter, was welcomed at the center. “I am here and I am not alone. I feel as if I’m with family,” she said.
Help for everyone
The CAT in Santo Domingo has approximately 15 refugees and immigrants and in the Huaquillas border area it has approximately 40 people. Thus, an average number of 200 people so far this year have received immediate help from the Adventist agency.
"It is difficult, but we have to fight, and ADRA has been the only group that has given us help," says Xiomara Torelló, a Venezuelan origin who came to Ecuador seeking a better life. Like her, there are several foreign citizens, who have been welcomed by the agency since the refugee aid project began in 2019.
A helping hand for vulnerable people is what ADRA has become in Ecuador, especially now in the time of pandemic. The agency works on various humanitarian aid projects, and through them highlights the importance of giving those who need it most a message of hope and compassion.
This article was originally published on the South American Division’s Portuguese news site