This is the last in a four-part series of articles about Venezuelan refugees who are making new lives in Utah County | By Laura Giles
UTAH – Moving to a new location always comes with challenges, but for people who flee their home country under stressful and often dangerous circumstances, landing in a foreign country, the changes can seem overwhelming.
New culture, foreign language, different climate, change of vocation, isolation from family and friends, and fear for loved ones left behind are just some of the problems that Venezuelan refugees are experiencing.
In Utah County, the newcomers are finding help that they need to get them through some of these challenges.
“I moved here with my wife and two children,” Hector Molina said. “One of the reasons we chose Utah is because in Utah, the people have a character very different than the rest of the country. There is a charity here. They want to help you. They open their doors. They open their hearts to give us what we left behind.”
According to Anadine Marshall, manager at Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry in American Fork, about 30-40 Venezuelan refugees are regular clients. They come to get help with food for their families each month while they work to get their new lives in order.
“They’re so grateful,” said Marshall. “We open the freezer and they start to break down. They cry. How badly they wish they could share this food with their families. Their families in Venezuela are starving and they are surrounded by food here.”
In Venezuela, many of their family members often stand in lines to get food for five or six hours, only to leave empty-handed.
“I miss the old Venezuela. Now it is another country. It’s not what we had,” said Wilma Medina. “The majority of us, we know that the rest of our family in Venezuela is not well and will not be able to come here. Another sadness is we will never see them again. We left our parents and it hurts. We cannot even see them or help them economically, nothing. This is what kills us. We are safe here and fed. But those left in Venezuela are starving and dying.”
Making connections with others from Venezuela is important. Many have connected through other Venezuelans, international students, churches, at Tabitha’s Way and they watch for each other around town.
“When you see them in the grocery store, you know they are Venezuelans,” said America Laendro.
“We look in the grocery carts to see what they’re buying,” she laughed. “We eat traditional corn flour. Every person that eats this is Venezuelan.”
They have also gotten help through local churches and the public schools, where their children get educations and some were even provided with free winter coats this year.
There are groups that help the Venezuelan people in Utah, including the Venezuelan Club at Utah Valley University, which is open to the entire Venezuelan community. The American Venezuelan Association of Utah, or AVAU, is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to provide services and resources to the Venezuelan community and to help promote Venezuelan culture in Utah. For more information, go to www.avau.org or on Facebook at Asociacion Venezolana Americana de Utah.
Bron: Daily Herald