Having endured a gruelling boat ride from Tucupita to Trinidad and then several days of hiding in the forests of Palo Seco before they were arrested, 17 Venezuelans have found a place to call home at Morne Diablo, Penal.
They have limited food, a trickle of water and no medicine for their sick children. Yet to them, their temporary home is like a paradise. Compared to their homeland, there is no shortage of food here. The family gave Guardian Media an exclusive interview of their plight and their hopes for the future.
The family is renting the house for $3,000 a month. Eumelis Ordaz was the first to arrive in Trinidad on April 7 and although she does not speak English, her understanding of the language has landed her a job at a village restaurant. She works long hours to pay for the rent and often brings home leftover food for her family.
Most of her salary goes towards rent but she is hoping that if the other Venezuelans get jobs, they too can contribute. Among them are a university economics graduate, two high school graduates, two teachers and a sergeant with the Venezuelan army.
Apart from the rent, Ordaz said her biggest worry was getting medicine for her children, one of whom is just one-year-old. The gruelling boat ride which he endured when he came to Palo Seco from Tucupita on Tuesday, was too much for his young body to bear and he began getting feverish. During our visit, the sick baby was asleep on a mattress while the other children aged five, seven and ten played inside the house.
The fridge was empty and a styrotex box nearby was filled with arepas, a popular Venezuelan snack. Ordaz said the food was the least of their concern.
“If only we can get medicine for the children. This is what we need most,” Ordaz said.
She explained that her life in Venezuela was difficult. She worked as a teacher and had her own home but when food became scarce she had no choice but to leave. It was tough but we had to have an improvement for our lives,” she added.
Saying all of her family had made it to Trinidad, Ordaz said she was fortunate that the Venezuelan community here was very close-knit and everyone was trying to help each other.
Ordaz said she was disheartened that many people preferred to treat her as if she was a prostitute when she enquired about doing a good and decent job.
“It has been difficult because many men see us as prostitutes simply because we are here. We are trying to cope with the situation. This makes us feel bad because Venezuela has always opened its doors to people who wanted to get there. It is very difficult and unfair for us to judge all Venezuelan women equally,” she said.
Ordaz said they were anxiously waiting for the registration process to begin.
A former sergeant with the Venezuelan army who also stays in the house said he was worried about his mother, siblings and children, whom he left in Venezuela.
“Today I communicated with my family, my mother, children and siblings. I have one brother with a disability, who has scabs, ulcers on his buttocks. There is no medication in Venezuela,” he said. He said he was willing to do any job that was afforded to him.
“I worked as a driver but I can work in any other job such as helping with construction in the field, milking, planting, painting houses among other things. As long as they explain what to do, I will do it,” he added.
He said they had lost all their clothes when they were arrested by the police but some villagers had provided them with some clothes.
“If we can get some clothes and shoes for the children it will be appreciated,” he added.