Project Brazil, a heart that welcomes took over the space in May 2020 when it was a Spontaneous Occupation.

The September 13th Reception Center, located in the neighborhood that gives its name to the space in Boa Vista, Roraima, is one of the 10 shelters of Operation Welcome (Operação Acolhida) – the Federal Government’s response to the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis – in the state. It completed, in May, two years of operation. The celebration took place in the beginning of June and was organized by the team of the Project “Brazil, a heart that welcomes”, one of the 11 projects of the humanitarian organization Fraternity without Borders’ projects.

Five cakes served the entire community of almost 500 recipients, who also got soda, participated in bingos with prizes such as new clothes, speakers, chocolates for the children, music and much more.

“These moments are very important for us who live here. We have few opportunities to eat a good cake, drink a good soda, get new clothes…These moments remind us that we are alive and worthy. We are very grateful to Fraternity without Borders,” said Yris Lepage, a 64-year-old lady.

The idea was to have an inclusive celebration, because if the center is considered a model space by Operation Welcome (Operação Acolhida) itself, it is thanks to the community that is the protagonist of its passage through the space, being participative and, through the committees, keeping the cleaning, the structure, and the organization up to date.

The center is managed jointly, like as all of others, in this case by Fraternity without Borders, an implementing partner of the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and the Brazilian Army’s Humanitarian Logistics Task Force. Together, the organizations are responsible for housing, food, security, protection, monitoring, community management, ensuring access to rights and services, such as vocational and Portuguese language courses.

Until the end of 2021, the Reception Center was called Emergency Area September 13th (Espaço Emergencial 13 de Setembro). The place was a spontaneous occupation called “Casa Podrida”, a term that can be translated into Portuguese as “Casa Podre“ (“Rotten House”), where several Venezuelan refugee and migrant families lived in a situation of extreme vulnerability and without access to any kind of service.

According to the Project’s operational coordinator Vanessa Epifânio, taking over the space at the invitation of the UNHCR was a good challenge: “I want to thank God, the forces of the universe, who gave us the opportunity to manage this beautiful space, with a sense of community. To thank for being able to be a point in the universe of help and to receive help every day”.

The September 13th Reception Center is proof that, through the exercise of fraternity and the values we follow, of valuing the self, of caring for sustainable processes, it is possible to transform scenarios and lives. More than 1032 Venezuelan refugees and migrants have already passed through it.

The September 13th Reception Center is proof that, through the exercise of fraternity and the values we follow, of valuing the self, of caring for sustainable processes, it is possible to transform scenarios and lives. More than 1032 Venezuelan refugees and migrants have already passed through it. 

Onward we go!