Blog

Mariluz Sifontes: Working Towards Her Dreams While Bridging Sister Communities in Peru

July 1, 2021 by Alexandra Anda

Mariluz Sifontes: Working Towards Her Dreams While Bridging Sister Communities in Peru

By Alexandra Anda

Mariluz Sifontes arrived in Peru in August 2019. She was looking for a place where she could offer a better life to her children, aged 11 and 8 years-old. In Venezuela, she was a security technician in the oil industry but, like many Venezuelans, Mariluz and her husband sold everything they had and set out on the journey to a neighboring country in search of a better life.

Upon arriving in Peru, Mariluz found a job as a seamstress, but it was not enough to cover the needs of the family. She had to find more than one job to earn enough, limiting the time she could spend with her family and for herself. It was a tough time but, as Mariluz tells us:

“Migrant women are fierce women, with vision and a lot of faith, because she goes down an unknown path with optimism. To move forward, you have to be positive."

One day, after spending a long time looking for other job opportunities, her sister-in-law told her about Loop. She had learned about the initiative through the Organization of Collaborators for the Social Assistance of Venezuelan Immigrants (OCASIVEN; for its Spanish acronym), a local NGO that provides social assistance to Venezuelan migrants and one of Loop's strategic allies.

Without a doubt, Loop’s added value is both the quality of its services and its human quality. Through the application, users who request cleaning services receive the profiles of the women members and learn about their stories and dreams, generating empathy and creating a bridge between communities. This is reflected in the comments. The Loop application allows both the women members who perform the services and the users who contract them to rate each other. So far, clients have received an average rating of 4.8 stars from the women members, which shows that the rapport between communities is taking place in a positive way.

Today, Mariluz's positivism pays off. Last month he earned $225 for performing 14 different cleaning services; which represents forty-nine hours of work. To put it in perspective, this is almost equivalent to achieving the minimum wage in Peru but for working full-time.

Loop is proud to be able to provide Venezuelan migrant women like Mariluz the opportunity to work their desired hours at a time that suits them best. In addition, the rate they earn per hour allows them to earn a good income, also giving them the opportunity to share time with their family, while they pursue other opportunities that allow them to take the steps for them to achieve their dreams.

In addition, as part of its commitment to support the members in their insertion in the country, Mariluz now has her own bank account; something she didn't have before she joined Loop. The Loop induction course includes information on how to open a bank account in Peru. Currently Mariluz and the other members receive their weekly income directly into their own account.

Today Mariluz is an exemplary Loop member: more positive than ever, kind, committed, attentive and cordial; dreaming of starting an enterprise to continue improving the quality of life of her family group.

“I am very grateful to Loop because it gives me the opportunity to work, to grow, to be part of a beautiful community of women and mainly because I can schedule my hours so that I have time to take care of my children, be with them and help them with their school work.”

More than 1000 people have already downloaded Loop in Peru and the number of services continues to increase! We invite you to download the app on your cell phone (App Store or Play Store) and visit the Loop page to be part of this community of Peruvians and Venezuelans working together to build a better country for all.

Nurianny Albino: Paving The Way for Venezuelan Migrant Women in Peru

May 22, 2021 by Alexandra Anda

Nurianny Albino: Paving The Way for Venezuelan Migrant Women in Peru

When Nurianny left Venezuela for Peru with her two girls, she wasn’t aware that she would play a part in changing the misconceptions that many have of the Venezuelan diaspora. Nurianny is a 35 years-old professional paramedic, with more than 12 years of experience in sales and customer service in Venezuela. However, the hardships of living in her home country pushed her to leave with her daughters.

She is now a member of Loop, the mobile app designed to employ Venezuelan women in cleaning services in Peru to help them jumpstart their professional lives and empower them towards achieving a brighter future in their host country, and bring people together by breaking down stereotypes one service at a time!

Loop gives Nurianny hope and has taught her the value of being proactive in building her career in her new country of residence.

“Two weeks ago I had not started using the Loop app yet, so I was not working any shifts. I realized that I needed to be more active and use it, so I started looking for [cleaning services] I could take. And it worked. Today I provided cleaning services for 7 households and was well-paid for my work. It feels good; my expectations about Loop have raised.”

About the ongoing COVID-19 situation, she shared:

“The situation worldwide is not easy because of the pandemic. But the app is working, people are trusting the app, and customers are very nice and kind.”

With the same positivity and enthusiasm, Nurianny shared how thankful she is for the opportunity to decide the terms of her own employment and career growth. Using the Loop app to take-on cleaning services shift-by-shift has allowed her to decide when and where to work.

“I feel that the Loop team cares about us, about our wellbeing, and about providing the opportunity for us to earn a good income and own our time. In my case this is important because I have 2 girls. With a normal job I could not take care of them properly because I did not have time. Now I am working between 2 to 5 hours daily and I spend most of my free time with them.”

As part of their social integration efforts, Loop has also given her a sense of belonging to a community.

“We are all part of the same team [at Loop]. This is why when a customer asks me if I will be the one that is going to provide the cleaning service for them next time, I answer that it does not matter who from the team takes the shift, it is going to be a professional service.”

Loop is also bringing people together. Nurianny is certain that Loop is a platform where she, along with fellow Venezuelan women, can start changing mistaken conceptions about Venezuelans in Peru.

“A customer told me that when she received my information through the app and realized I was a Venezuelan woman, her husband told her to cancel the service. But she told him that a friend of hers had recommended the app and that she wanted to give me a chance. After I finished the cleaning service for them, they both thanked me for my professionalism and told me they would continue using Loop. That makes me happy because we are changing the way people feel about Venezuelans.”

Nurianny holds a perfect 5-star rating on the Loop app. The community supporting her is proud of her work and her determination to work hard and continue ascending in her professional life while raising two daughters.

Support Nurianny and other Venezuelan women like her by spreading the word about Loop. If you are in Peru, support the Loop family! Download the app at the App Store or Play Store to schedule a service, and don’t forget to spread the word!

It’s fast, flexible and safe!

María Rosa Rodríguez: A Venezuelan Migrant Starting a New Life in Peru

April 27, 2021 by juntosesmejorve

María Rosa Rodríguez: A Venezuelan Migrant Starting a New Life in Peru

Maria Rosa arrived in Lima a year and a half ago. She is a 44-year-old Venezuelan migrant woman, with a Master’s Degree in Education Planning and Evaluation and more than 20 years of experience as a teacher.

Like many Venezuelan migrants in the same situation, Maria Rosa had to flee her country in search of a better life. Arriving in Peru not only meant adapting to a new social and cultural environment, but also integrating economically. Also like many Venezuelans, she arrived in a country she had never been before, without local employment references or credit history, facing additional challenges when looking for employment. This is where Loop comes in. Loop is a cleaning service app that was created with a social purpose: to employ Venezuelan migrant women with the aim to facilitate access to economic stability and integration, empowering migrant women in vulnerable situations.

Since joining Loop, not only has Maria Rosa found the opportunity to earn a living, but to be part of a family that encourages continuous learning and builds on the skills of its employees. The Loop team sees Maria Rosa as a very joyful and positive person who doesn't think twice when it comes to participating in Loop’s coaching sessions:

“I love to participate at the coaching sessions. I try to never miss them!”

According to Maria Rosa, what she appreciates the most of these sessions is that she has learned how to deal with stress and anxiety and has found the space to share with others who are in a similar situation. Loop provides personal development sessions to the women as a means to empower them, going above and beyond offering safe, vetted employment opportunities.

This initiative is also designed to be a flexible short-term employment solution for Venezuelan women like Maria Rosa to get back on their feet. Loop provides Venezuelan women with financial literacy to help them build a credit history and learn strategies to start saving. Loop also provides them references and the opportunity to decide their own terms of employment and schedules, encouraging them to pursue educational goals, training or other professional aspirations at the same time.

Thanks to initiatives like Loop, Venezuelan women have been able to find a place in their host communities where they feel valued through their work and skills. Maria Rosa, who describes herself as a responsible and honest person, is excited to share that through the Loop App, she is starting to build a client base and her customers give her glowing reviews for "excellent service."

Learn more about Loop at www.juntosesmejor.org/ourinnovations and www.looplimpieza.com.

If you are in Peru, support the Loop family! Download the app at the App Store or Play Store to schedule a service, and don’t forget to spread the word!

Meet 6 Women Leading Transformative Approaches to Address Venezuela’s Regional Crisis!

March 14, 2021 by juntosesmejorve

Meet 6 Women Leading Transformative Approaches to Address Venezuela’s Regional Crisis!

Español

The BetterTogether Challenge is proud to fund and scale locally-driven, women-led innovations to support Venezuelans and their host communities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Although 2019 was a record year for business start-ups and innovations led by women, the United Nations warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could cause a setback. Today more than ever we must continue to promote innovation led by women. This helps us reap the benefits of inclusive innovation that incorporates the perspectives of more than half the world’s population. For example, studies have shown that increasing inclusivity and participation of women in an organization leads to better performance and greater innovative capacity.

In this article, we feature 8 women leading innovations funded by the BetterTogether Challenge.

1) Loop: Claudia Esparza

Founder at Loop and Nanas & Amas

Peruvian, mother, businesswoman. For 11 years, through her company Nanas & Amas, Claudia has connected families and domestic workers to establish happy and lasting relationships. Since the migration of Venezuelans to Peru began, Claudia's company began receiving job applications from many women looking for job opportunities. All were Venezuelan professionals in different careers, but who needed support to start over. However, as they had no previous experience as domestic workers, they could not be hired. As Claudia describes, “The feeling of helplessness of not being able to lend them a hand made us think about designing a new service. And that's how Loop was born— the mobile app that connects thousands of Venezuelan women with dignified job opportunities to clean houses and offices by the hour, in Lima. They are receiving training and constant job opportunities, good weekly income, the power to decide their own work schedules, and are part of a large community of women that walks with them on their path to move forward.”

2) Democracy International: Marlene S. Charles

Project Director for Democracy International in Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidadian. Youth Mentor. Activist. Marlene has been involved in working with social issues since her days as a youth mentor in her parish community. A strong believer in volunteerism and advocacy, Marlene has also been at the helm of three key civil society associations in Trinidad.

In Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan women are particularly vulnerable to harassment and xenophobia. They often avoid using public services and take extra precautions to share their location with friends and family when they travel.

To address this issue, Marlene and her team at Democracy International (DI) are implementing the WELCOME project, which uses a women-centered approach to address xenophobia and harassment toward Venezuelan women in Trinidad and Tobago. DI has partnered with local stakeholders to implement a series of behavioral science-based interventions aimed at increasing awareness of harassment and xenophobia, encouraging bystanders to speak up against it in public spaces, and creating lasting behavioral change.

“It's actually about women helping women. It is Trini [dadian] women helping other Trini [dadian] women to become allies of Venezuelan women to stop sexual harassment and xenophobic behavior.”

3) Cáritas Brasileira: Cristina Dos Anjos

Migraflix Initiative Coordinator at Cáritas Brasileira

Brazilian. Activist, with the mission to fight against violence against women and racism. The MigraSegura platform aims to support the safe mobility of Venezuelan migrants. By using MigraSegura, migrants can find information on legislation, reception areas, indications of social assistance networks, employment opportunities and more. The platform can be accessed through cell phones, tablets and computers. Cristina explains that "As a black woman, I took on the mission of supporting the struggle of other women to defend their rights against violence and feminicide and the fight against racism. As the MigraSegura initiative coordinator, I look carefully at the reality of women, who are the majority of migrants within Venezuelan displacement."

4) CDI Chile: Marcia Cortez Paredes

Outreach and Communications at CDI Chile

Argentine. A Communications Guru. Marcia is the driving force behind “Aprendo Data”, a data science bootcamp for women. Participants will receive the training and skills to improve their employability, helping to reduce the gender gap in tech. CDI, in alliance with Data Elevates, is training approximately 200 Venezuelan women in data visualization and interpretation. As Marcia notes, “... To achieve a real impact, we will connect them [participants] with job opportunities, through outreach events with the participation of potential employers and entrepreneurship networks. These events will help to connect migrants with a rapidly growing industry, and to show society the advantages of integration.”

5) Salma Mohammaed: Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago

Officer at Rape Crisis Society of Trinidad and Tobago (RCSTT)

Trinidadian. Activist. Salma firmly believes that "Everyone deserves to feel safe, to be respected and to have a strong support system. We are here for our Venezuelan sisters and brothers."

In Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuelan migrants often encounter challenges in accessing essential services due to the language barrier and their legal status. This makes it difficult for them to implement healthy decision-making and cope with the stressors of being a migrant in a host country. Therefore, the Rape Crisis Society will establish a toll-free, GBV Bilingual Hotline in Trinidad and Tobago, operated by trained Venezuelans, for Venezuelans and other GBV survivors in the country. The GBV Bilingual Hotline will be supported by a bilingual animated video series geared towards promoting social cohesion amongst Venezuelans and locals. These services will be free to all beneficiaries, including locals, and will seek to foster healthy coping strategies, self-sufficiency and empowerment amongst migrants and locals in T&T.

6) Art For Impact: Nery Santaella

Nery “Nani” Santaella, Co - Founder at Art for Impact

Venezuelan, mother, activist and the star of the series “Laboratorio de Arepas”. Her company, Art for Impact, develops creative solutions to social problems through art and creativity. Her flagship initiative, Voices of Venezuela, is a media project like no other that focuses on problem-solving between Venezuelan migrants and host communities in Colombia. As Nery explains, “We want to build self-sufficiency by providing essential information on integration processes in Colombia and access to services, in a simple, dynamic and accessible way. And second, we want to reduce xenophobia and prevent conflict through the creation of culturally appropriate programs, where we are open to talking about xenophobia in a cordial way; a space where we celebrate the positive aspects of migration in Colombia and, why not, celebrate our culture and shared values.”

Accounts from Venezuela: Innovating for Access to Clean Water

February 14, 2021 by juntosesmejorve

Accounts from Venezuela: Innovating for Access to Clean Water

Español

Eighty percent of Venezuelans do not have access to clean water, and many can only rely on polluted water sources. Thanks to the work of our innovators, more than 600 families in Venezuela now have a water point of proven quality, less than 30 minutes away from their homes and free of charge.

Our innovators working in Venezuela share the joy of success in providing clean water for vulnerable communities:

“A good part of the beneficiaries consumed unfit water before the implementation of our project. Sometimes they did not have enough money to buy bottled water and they resorted to natural sources or those offered at the houses of friends or neighbors. Even so, it could be verified that these water sources did not meet the sanitary requirements either. The water even developed a bad smell after being stored for days. Sometimes it also brought many sediments of earth, mud and / or sand. After the installation of the plants, all these conditions have improved, in compliance with current sanitary regulations and offering the community the advantage of accessing already treated water that does not require another method to be applied before consuming it.

[The community] has told us about the tranquility that comes with, for example, being able to make bottles for babies knowing that the water will no longer cause health consequences. As well as families are grateful that they have reduced the time and money that before they had to use to obtain water that many times was not even drinkable.

Since the start of the project, more than 600 families now have a water point of proven quality, less than 30 minutes away from their homes and free of charge. Additionally, other families in the area are accessing the water service at a lower cost.”

An account by our innovators working in the Access to Clean Water initiative in Venezuela.

Rekindling the Spark of an Immigrant: Young Venezuelans and Brazilians Build Dreams and Citizenship as a Team

January 16, 2021 by Alexandra Anda

Rekindling the Spark of an Immigrant: Young Venezuelans and Brazilians Build Dreams and Citizenship as a Team

Español

With pride and humility, this talented young Venezuelan woman who is also a journalist, dancer and daughter, introduces herself. Eliezka is now also a member of Young Changemakers; one of the innovative programs funded by the BetterTogether Challenge in Brazil.

The decision and the path to leave Venezuela and migrate to Brazil were not easy for Eliezka. She recognizes that a migrant's life is hard, whether due to economic or social circumstances - although the two things often come together. The fact that migrants do not always know their destination adds a layer of uncertainty and difficulty when leaving their land. However, as Eliezka tells us, circumstances do not always leave other options. “I came to Brazil because I decided to do so. Was I forced to? No. I could have continued living in Venezuela. [But] in Venezuela no one can prosper, not at this moment ... [For this reason] in my head and in my heart I knew that I had to leave.”

Between August 2017 and 2019, nearly 500,000 Venezuelans crossed the border into Brazil, escaping harsh living conditions and lack of opportunities. In Brazil migrants believe they will have a new opportunity to improve their quality of life, access jobs and support their loved ones in Venezuela by sending remittances.

Eliezka made the journey with so many unanswered questions: “What now? What's Next? Where will I work? How am I going to live? Will there be a way to create community for me there?" And Eliezka was right to ask those questions. Most Venezuelan migrants in Brazil are in their 20s and 30s, and many are students. Once in Brazil, they have to navigate a new culture and language, as well as deal with the additional uncertainty of whether their academic qualifications will be recognized, as there is a complex accreditation process. Additionally, Venezuelans often face challenges obtaining legal documentation to work, making it difficult to integrate with young Brazilians.

Upon arriving in Brazil, Eliezka found resources and helping hands to rebuild her life "... Once inside this new land, it is necessary to plant seeds and take root, only then will we grow and bear fruit," she concluded.

One of the organizations that lent her a hand was the Terroá Institute, which runs the Young Changemakers Program, a BetterTogether Challenge awardee. Eliezka clearly remembers the day she joined the program. She received the information about the opportunity on a group chat, through a local health organization contact that works closely with the Terroá Institute. On October 20th, 2020, in the midst of a particularly difficult time due to the repercussions of the Coronavirus pandemic, Eliezka sent her application to participate in the program. She confesses that part of her hesitated, as other obligations and challenges overwhelmed her. But in the end, the optimism and resilience of this brave young woman persisted once again.

"But on the other hand, I said to myself: enough isolation, we are going to get together in that project, even if it is online, with people I trust are wonderful and have a lot to contribute to our society. I also have something to contribute,I just must learn the tools to do it.”

And she was right. Young Changemakers is a training program that focuses on development of socio-emotional, entrepreneurial, citizenship, and sustainability skills for both Brazilian and Venezuelan youth that will prepare them to better exercise their citizenship and have greater employability. The initiative sparks greater connections for Venezuelan migrant youth living in Brazil’s cities and communities, combining their organization’s mission with skills development and entrepreneurship training, as well as volunteerism, civic engagement and teamwork. Among the courses that are part of the program are: Integrating Entrepreneurship, Youth and Human Rights, Migration and Entrepreneurship, Youth and Sustainable Development in Latin America.

Eliezka and her cohort have taken the first few courses on integration, inclusion and citizenship, and a cohesive group of young Brazilians and Venezuelans is emerging. They are working passionately and learning how they can exercise change around them. In Eliezka’s words:

“The Young Changemakers Program helped rekindle that spark that had been extinguished in the midst of so much illness, hopelessness and loneliness. The best thing about this experience is being able to do that cultural exchange between Venezuelans and Brazilians, discovering that, although we have different origins, we are similar in our perception of the world, in our desire to fight and build a better society. That is what motivates me to continue in this project, the hope that we can change the world, make it a little fairer for everyone, together building the incredible ”.

Eliezka is one of 90 young people who participate in the Young Changemakers program, which already includes more than 200 young people in the cities of Brasilia, Manaus and São Paulo.

Learn more about this initiative by visiting our webpage, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to receive news and updates on our innovators and beneficiaries.

Written by Alexandra Anda, USAID Catalyst Project at Resonance Global.