“In the future, I see myself with my family, having finished my studies, being a singer, my mum in a nice home, sharing as a family, all our dreams coming true, each day moving forward.”
Rossi*, 15, and her mum Mariana*, 41, are very close. They have matching pink nails, which they painted for each other. They began living in a tiny apartment in Lima, Peru, two months ago after fleeing the economic and social turmoil engulfing Venezuela.
The small shop Mariana ran in Venezuela was looted, forcing her to work in Colombia during the week. But while Mariana was away, her children were repeatedly robbed at home.
“We were sleeping, and they came in through the window. They took everything – even the food we’d prepared. That’s when we decided we should get out of here because all we had left was four walls,” Rossi says.
“… There are economic problems, a lot of crime, everything is getting worse and worse. Day by day, things get worse. Food prices go up daily. Everything goes up. It was hard to have access to electricity, food, water. There was crime. Everything in Venezuela is corrupted. It [was] horrible. So, we decided to leave.”
After a month of travelling on foot, Rossi and Mariana arrived in Lima, where they share a small apartment with Rossi’s two older brothers and a cousin, along with two other tenants.
“It was a sad experience but it’s also an experience I will never forget,” Rossi says of leaving her home in Venezuela. “I discovered beautiful places in Colombia and Ecuador. Travelling here, I went through a place called Máncora. It has a beautiful beach… I saw many things I had not seen in Venezuela.”
Save the Children is supporting Rossi and her family with cash transfers, allowing Mariana to purchase new shoes and other supplies for her children. Mariana is also planning on using the cash transfers to buy a food cart to support her family.
As they arrived in Lima midway through the school year, Rossi is not currently enrolled in school, but she has plans to enroll for the coming year.
“I want to go back because I want to finish my studies. I have not attended school for six months now but want to conclude my education,” she says.
“[I want] to overcome this situation we are living in… I will be a singer. My dream will come true.”