Red Cross expands immigrant posts in Roraima

The migrants coming to Brazil through Venezuela will have 13 new service stations to facilitate communication with their families in the cities of Boa Vista and Pacaraima, in the northern state of Roraima, which will now have 17 posts for this purpose.

The expansion comes as part of a program dubbed Restoring Family Links, of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), aimed at reuniting people drawn apart by natural disasters, immigration, armed conflicts, economic problems, and armed violence.

The program has been operational in Roraima for six months and is said to be part of the local response to assist split families, helping family members to report their location and keep in touch with friends and relatives.

Since the initiative started, approximately 360 thousand requests were processed and 185 thousand calls made between Venezuelans in Brazil and their family members living in other cities in Brazil or overseas. “The expansion will enable the Red Cross Center to help even more migrants. In November alone, requests added up to over 30 thousand,” a note from the institute reads.

Fernando Fornaris, head of ICRC’s office in Boa Vista, said they have helped migrants who had to walk ten kilometers to try to talk to relatives in other cities and countries.

How it works

In order to make it possible for people to reestablish and preserve contact with their families free of charge, the services offered include phone calls, internet access, mobile top-ups, and search requests.