As of July 2019, it is estimated that over 4,054,000 Venezuelans have left the country and approximately 168,357 have either requested asylum or temporary residency in Brazil, mainly in Roraima state and progressively in the city of Manaus in Amazonas state. Utilising an Area-Based Approach, REACH collected localised information on the situation of Venezuelan asylum seekers and migrants living in host communities and abrigos managed by humanitarian actors in city neighbourhoods across Boa Vista, Pacaraima and Manaus. The aim was to increase the understanding of humanitarian actors of the living conditions, primary needs, vulnerabilities and coping strategies of the asylum seekers and migrants.
This study aims to provide a representative overview of the profiles of Venezuelan asylum seekers and migrants living in different geographic locations and shelter settings in Brazil, for the purpose of increasing the understanding of humanitarian actors as to the extent to which the living conditions, needs, and vulnerabilities of Venezuelan households vary between households living in abrigos and those living in host communities, across three cities that are relevant nodes in the Brazilian refugee response: Pacaraima, Boa Vista, and Manaus. The findings indicate that challenges related to accessing services are relatively similar across different locations and shelter settings. The findings indicate that challenges related to accessing services are relatively similar across different locations and shelter settings. Of all services, Venezuelans seem to face the most challenges regarding access to education; findings suggest that a lack of required documents and a limited local capacity are constraining the enrolment of Venezuelan children into local schools. These two factors were also the most likely to pose barriers to accessing social services and healthcare facilities. Difficulties in speaking the local language and long distances to facilities were found to further constrain households' access to services, albeit to a lesser extent.