Helping migrants at 3,000 meters above sea level in Peruvian Andes

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From the Website of Vatican

links: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2025-06/helping-migrants-at-3-000-meters-high-in-the-peruvian-andes.html

Helping migrants at 3,000 meters above sea level in Peruvian Andes

A Christian-inspired nonprofit provides Venezuelan migrants seeking a better life in Peru guidance and physical assistance integrating into the new country.

By Federico Piana

The Peruvian city of Cuzco sits perched high in the Andes Mountains, where the climate is dry and mild and the local people are warm and welcoming.

At over 3,000 meters above sea level, few would expect to find, walking the streets of what was once the capital of the Inca Empire, hundreds and hundreds of Venezuelan migrants. Many made dangerous and arduous journeys, crossing Brazil or Colombia, covering thousands of kilometers in the hope of building a better life, fleeing political turmoil and escaping dire poverty back home.

Help from across the ocean

Those fortunate enough to reach Cuzco safely have, since early 2025, found support through an initiative led by Apurimac Ets, a Christian-inspired nonprofit organization funded by Italy’s "8x1000" tax donation program and the Office of the Italian Prime Minister.

The project is run by a young Italian woman named Marta, who explained in an interview with Vatican News that the support for the Venezuelan migrant community is extensive. One of the first areas of assistance is helping migrants navigate Peru’s often complex bureaucratic and administrative systems.

“Through our help desk,” she explained, “we guide them through the entire process of legalizing their status in the country and work to secure their access to the public health system—a right in Peru only granted to Venezuelans with a valid residence permit, except for children under five and pregnant women.”

Access to healthcare is one of the most urgent issues these migrants face. For this reason, the project also organizes effective health campaigns together with Cuzco’s Santa Rita Hospital. “We do this,” Marta said, “to meet the health needs of Venezuelans who either cannot register with the health system or are excluded due to long waiting lists.”

Another critical issue Apurimac addresses is malnutrition, particularly among Venezuelan mothers, their young children, and pregnant women. “We’ve developed targeted nutrition programs specifically for this vulnerable group,” Marta shared. “It’s demanding work, but deeply rewarding.”

Guided by the the Augustinian charism

Apurimac’s daily efforts in Cuzco are rooted not only in principles of solidarity and human rights but also in the spiritual charism of the Augustinian Order, which guides the association’s commitment to human development in missions around the world.

With this spirit of boundless love, Apurimac’s volunteers continue to stand alongside migrants who arrived in Peru as early as eight years ago but who still require support to fully integrate into society.

Even though they are no longer newcomers, Marta noted, “they still face major challenges to social inclusion. Many are not legally registered and only have access to informal work, which prevents them from obtaining regular residency permits.”

Why make the journey?

Though there are alternate paths, migrants often pass through Colombia and Ecuador to reach Cuzco. As Marta explained, Venezuelan migration “can largely be considered circular throughout Latin America. But here in Cuzco, the Venezuelan community tends to be more stable.”

The driving force behind this mass exodus is, fundamentally, the lack of decent economic opportunities and socio-political stability in Venezuela. Marta has seen this firsthand. She also discovered how deeply these migrants remain emotionally tied to their homeland: “They still dream of one day returning to Venezuela. But over the years, we haven’t seen a rise in migration—overall, the flow has remained fairly steady.”

On their own

Today, Apurimac’s initiative is the only project of its kind still active in Cuzco. “In past years,” Marta recalled, “UNHCR—the UN refugee agency—was also working here. But they’ve since left. Now it’s just us.”

It’s a heavy responsibility, but Marta and her volunteers draw strength from a unique spiritual encouragement: the election of an Augustinian Pope. “It’s true—it gives us hope and inspires us to carry on with renewed energy and optimism in the work we’re doing.”