AMERICA/ECUADOR - Creation of the “welcome route” by the Scalabrinian nuns for the benefit of Venezuelans fleeing their country

Quito (Agenzia Fides) - In Venezuela the ongoing political, economic and social crisis continues to force thousands of people to flee and Ecuador represents a transit country for those who wish to reach Peru and Chile, places where they believe they can find more opportunities (see Fides, 4/2/2021; 5/2/2021). Venezuela is experiencing a particularly complex political situation. The presidency of Nicolas Maduro is contested by Juan Guaidò and thousands are migrants passing by roads and other shortcuts that cross Colombia to reach Ecuador.
The Scalabrinian Sisters, a Congregation of Missionaries which since its founding 125 years ago, has assisted migrants, has created a "welcome route" comprising a house which was inaugurated this month and another which will open in March, informs the note sent to Fides. This is a route which in Ecuador is made up of "Integrated Care Centers", places which welcome migrants on their journey to Quito, the capital, and the other provinces of Ecuador on the border with Peru. The journey follows the Ecuadorian route that runs along the Pan-American Highway, the road that connects Alaska to Usuhaia, in the far south of Argentina. In Ecuador, there are three points of this "welcome route": one is the reception center in Tulcàn ('Casa del Camminante') which will open in March, on the border with Colombia. Three hours away is the Ibarra center ('Casa del Cristo Pellegrino') and from there, three more hours away, the center in the Province of Santo Domingo (the Integral Care Center 'Jesus of Divine Providence') inaugurated on February 1st.
"Our work is manifold - says Sister Leda Reis, Scalabrinian missionary in Ecuador, responsible and coordinator of the houses, in the note sent to Fides -. First of all, we try to help migrants by acting as an intermediary with the Embassy and the Consulate to resolve their documents, but it is often not an easy task, because these migrants often flee from a State which does not recognize them. We then help them by seeking to launch integration courses, by insisting on their training and their development".
"It is an integral care center, not simple shelters, because we want to help human beings as a whole and not just as numbers - explains Sister Leda -. This is why we want to strengthen them in their capacities and in their dignity as families and as builders, even if invisible, of peace policies. We also work as a team with professionals, who collaborate with institutions for their protection in order to provide them with the tools to live and to make them participate in low-credit programs". (SL) (Agenzia Fides, 6/2/2021)

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missionary institutes

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