Nadia*

Hope for a better future

Nadia*, along with her eight-year-old daughter Amelia*, reunited with her husband in Lima in March 2018. The crisis in Venezuela had forced the family to seek new horizons. Although in her country Nadia* used to work in Industrial Security, due to the pandemic neither she nor her husband have been able to find work, and this has caused them to get into several debts. In addition, with the arrival of her second daughter, Nadia* must take care of the household chores and care for her baby.

It was not easy to change everything for another country, for other customs. But well, here we are trying to get ahead and give the best to our children (…) Right now I am a housewife, I have just given birth.

Like a gift from above

Nadia * tells us that it was a friend who told her about the work that Save the Children does with migrant families in Peru. She shared a link with her via WhatsApp and Nadia was inspired to fill out the questionnaire. To her surprise, a week later they contacted her and shortly after she received a text message informing her that she had a money transfer in her name. Unable to believe it at all, she approached the location indicated in the message and found that she was indeed a beneficiary of financial assistance. This way they were able to cover some of the basic expenses that they had accumulated.

At that moment it was like a gift from above, we were behind on the rent, there were many expenses and many debts. That money helped me a lot (…) I was able to pay a month’s rent, I went to the market with my daughter, we bought food. I was able to pay for the phone subscription on her tablet for her classes (…) we are very grateful to Save the Children.

Health and nutrition

Nadia* also received advice from Save the Children on nutrition and breastfeeding issues. During her pregnancy, she was anemic and by following the advice given by an obstetrician via telephone, she reached the delivery date in a better condition. One of the things that Nadia* is most thankful for is that they have followed up on her case weekly.

I spoke with the obstetrician, she called me by phone, she asked me how I was doing, I told her that I had developed anemia and she gave me some tips: how I could improve my hemoglobin, she told me what to eat, that I should eat chicken blood (…) Sometimes you need someone to watch out for you, especially when you don’t have anyone here.

Although Nadia was already a mother, she tells us that she had forgotten many things and that is why the information she received, both in the Zoom talks and through WhatsApp, was of great help. Also, following the recommendations, she has found the enormous benefits of exclusive breastfeeding.

One of the pieces of advice they gave me in the program was for 100% pure breastfeeding. No formulas, baby bottle, pacifiers (…) As they explained to me, it has two things: it helps my baby a lot in her growth, in her development, 100% natural, and apart from that, it means I’m saving money now too, that money from the formula.

A more positive view

Both Nadia* and her family have also received psychosocial support. Given the difficult situation, Nadia* was depressed and her eldest daughter Amelia* began to show behavioral problems. Thanks to the help of a therapist they have learned to manage their emotions better and they feel much better now.

The organization gave us very good psychosocial support since there was a moment when I felt desperate (…) They listened to me and they really gave me that peace and that tranquility that I was needing at that time, to me and my family. Now with the baby there are new things to face and we hope that the program can help us face those challenges.

Amelia * knows that the arrival of her little sister brings some changes to their lives, but the most important thing is that they are a family.

At last I will have a companion that I don’t have wait for but who will always be there, by my side. In this case it’s my little sister who will always be with me and will be supporting me.

Now they look to the future in a more positive way and know that they must do everything they can to improve their lives.

In the future we hope, first of all that my husband can get a job and I also get a job, my career here is very commercial and so I have hope. I have a daughter here, Peruvian. We are certain that we will stay here, build our future here with our girls, stay here and keep fighting for it.

*The names have been changed according to our Safeguarding Policy.

About the project

The project “Assistance for the well-being and inclusion of migrant and refugee families in Peru” has been implemented by Save the Children with support from the USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA/ USAID). This intervention aims to provide humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan families who were forced to leave their country due to the serious economic crisis. The cornerstones of the project are: protection through psychosocial support; nutrition and health; livelihoods through the strengthening of skills to start a business or access a job; as well as humanitarian aid to cover the family’s minimum expenses for food, shelter, and clothing.