Since 2016, there has been an increasing flow of venezuelan migrants into Brazil, and studies indicate an expressive percentage of people with a complete higher education, as shown in the analysis carried out by IOM, which poll sample showed its majority as young people and 26% with a complete higher education.

In order to assist this population, Compassiva mapped all universities in Brazil that would do the revalidation of diplomas of venezuelan people and found great difficulty for the revalidation of a migrant´s diploma, especially considering that many of them didn’t have all the required documentation, and that the legislation aims to the facilitation of the process only for recognized refugees in Brazil, which at that moment still wasn’t a reality for the venezuelan population.

Compassiva starte, then, an arduous work of advocacy at the universities and, in 2019, got two universities to do the revalidation of diplomas of venezuelan people in Brazil, even if the applicants didn’t have the required documentation (which is the reality of almost all venezuelan migrants). Some time later, two other partner universities also started to revalidate the diplomas of venezuelan migrants. At the end of the same year, the first two diplomas of venezuelan migrants.

With a few procedural obstacles at the universities overcome, there was still the need of financial resources to pay for the expenses of the process of revalidation of diplomas. So, we had to expand the project in order to reach the high demand of venezuelan migrants which could also cover migrants of other nationalities as beneficiaries of this aid.

Within the scope of Compassiva’s joint project with UNHCR, both venezuelan migrants and refugees that are recognized by CONARE are benefited. Given the significant number of venezuelan people and other nationalities migrants in situations of vulnerability, a partnership with IOM that could have venezuelan and other migrants from neighbouring countries as beneficiaries proved to be extremely important for the national context of recognition of diplomas in Brazil.

So, in the second half of 2020, a new partnership comes up, bringing hope to venezuelan and other migrants from neighbouring countries.

“IOM considers revalidation of diplomas a very important step for the effective integration of migrants to welcoming societies and we are very pleased to be able to work together with Compassiva on this pioneer project of support for the revalidation of diplomas of venezuelan and other migrants from Brazil’s neighbouring countries, complementing the work that had already been developed in Brazil by the organization with the refugees and migrant population.”, declares Michelle Barron, national coordinator for Project Opportunities’ IOM.

This initiative is carried out as Project Opportunities’ milestone, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)’s financial support. Project Opportunities aims the economical integration of venezuelan people and other nationalities migrants in situations of vulnerability in  Brazil, which is directly related to the necessity of revalidation of higher education diplomas obtained by the beneficiaries in their home countries, allowing them to access job opportunities which are more appropriate to their professional profiles and, with this, benefiting also the welcoming society.

“The project of revalidation of diplomas for migrant people who bring with them difficulties in getting documents, obtaining filing and paying for the expenses of the process of revalidation of diplomas is necessary. This partnership with IOM is a way of reintegration to the formal labour market, but also of recovery of these people’s identity.”, says Camila Suemi, Compassiva’s project of revalidation of diploma coordinator.

The partnership will benefit more than 70 venezuelan and other migrants from Brazil’s neighbouring countries, 7 of which have already had their diplomas revalidated in less than 6 months. It is noteworthy that 2020 and 2021 were atypical years due to Covid-19 pandemic, and, for that  reason, having achieved such significant results was yet another reason for celebration, particularly for Yomaira Alexandra Tovar Martinez, a venezuelan veterinary doctor who lives in São Paulo and had her diploma revalidated by the Federal University of Pelotas.

“I am really grateful to you all, because this is not just about revalidating a diploma; it’s about giving me back a little bit of what I’ve lost” – Yomaira Alexandra Tovar Martinez, venezuelan veterinary doctor.

“For me, it was a tremendous joy when I got the phone call from Pedro in December, it was the best gift ever, because it’s completely changed my life! It was a true hope, a light in my path here in Brazil, learning that it was possible, in my situation, to revalidate my diploma” – Livia Esmeralda Vargas Gonzalez, venezuelan philosopher who’s also had her diploma revalidated through the project.

That way, the project of revalidation of diplomas for immigrants in Brazil, the fruit of the partnership between Compassiva and IOM, has enabled venezuelan and other migrants from neighbouring countries to have hope of a fresh start in Brazil, being able to work in their training area, getting better salaries through formal jobs and contributing to the economical growth of the country.