Since the Process for Venezuelans was announced, Home for Refugees has been inundated with pleas for help from individuals and families desperate to escape. Over Twitter and Instagram, through emails and WhatsApp, hundreds and hundreds of people have contacted us. We had to take the interest form on our website offline because we were beyond capacity. Here is just a small sampling of the messages we have been receiving [note: messages have been printed as-is, but names and some details have been altered or omitted for security reasons]:
“I am writing to ask for your help in my search for a legal sponsor, since I do not have a person who meets the requirements to apply. The crisis has covered my family in Venezuela and I would really give everything to help them with the effort of my work I am an honest, helpful person, participated in voluntary circles in my life as a university student, my whole family has suffered because of his political position since in Venezuela there is no freedom of expression, since 2015 we have actively participated as leaders in projects of opposition parties for our city, until they managed to persecute my family and some uncles had to flee the country to be able to live, that is why my nephews, brothers and cousins are not accepted in universities or public schools, and it is difficult to find work, I have received threats since I am a girl because of our political position.I am 21 years old and since I can remember I have fought against the regime. Now I need to flee to help my relatives in Venezuela to survive and have a future. Please help me find a group or person who wants to help me.
I thank you with all my heart if you can read me and reply to this message. I request help, God bless you”
“Hola, buenas tardes, soy venezolana, y quisiera pedirles si por favor me pueden ayudar a conseguir un patrocinador en USA. para mí, mi esposo y mi hija, ya que estamos viviendo una situacion difícil que no nos permite tener el sustento básico, como lo es el alimento, entre otros. De todo corazón les agradecería que nos ayudaran, y que Dios los bendiga y multiplique toda la ayuda que nos puedan brindar.”
”Hello I am Venezuelan, and I would like to ask if You could please to help me to get a sponsor in the USA, for me, my husband, and my daughter, because we would like to enter the humanitarian parole program for Venezuelans.We are living a difficult situation that does not allow us to have the basic sustenance, such as food, among others. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank you for your help, and may God bless you and multiply all the help you can give us.”
“I am Venezuelan and gay, I am 22 years old. Desperate to get out of here, I can't live my life as I am... my parents don't know I'm gay, in my country there are no LGBTQ rights and I don't see opportunities for approval. I need help.”
The messages continue. Shortly after announcing the Process for Venezuelans, the U.S. government announced similar programs for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans as well, calling it the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (or CHNV for short). As word of these programs continues to spread, we fully expect to see more and more people reaching out to us, desperate for help. But the news and the stories are not always so heavy. As we'll see in our next story, at Home for Refugees we get to experience the joys of resettlement too as we walk alongside our families as they build their new lives.