Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

Article by Susan Lavado, Communications Officer for RET in Peru

LIMA, PERU – On International Migrants Day (December 18), we remember that migration is much more than a demographic phenomenon. They are stories of struggle, resilience, hope and challenges. 

Peru, according to recent data from the Working Group for Refugees and Migrants (GTRM), hosts more than 1.66 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants who have sought an opportunity to rebuild themselves after the crisis in their country of origin in this country. This enormous human movement makes Peru the country with the second largest Venezuelan population. 

These data are not just statistics. They are faces, families, dreams. And in the midst of this sea of figures, stories emerge such as those of Andrea Navea and Rossy Bayona, two teachers who came from Venezuela to contribute their experience and knowledge in Diverticlases, part of Aprender Sin Barreras (Learning Without Barriers), a Multi-Year Resilience Program funded by Education Cannot Wait, with a clear goal: To transform realities and promote safe and inclusive spaces, mainly in schools.

Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

When migrating also means teaching: Two stories of vocation and passion for education

Andrea and Rossi arrived in Peru with uncertainty, with their briefcases full of doubts, but with an illusion: to find a new direction. Today, they have not only rebuilt their lives, but have also decided to dedicate their days to transforming those of children in the country.

Andrea remembers her arrival with emotion: “I arrived in Peru eight years ago, I never forgot that date, and I have always worked as a teacher in schools. I love the work of education.” With that conviction, she joined, willing to make her immigration experience a bridge, not an obstacle.

Rossy, for her part, sees her work as an act of justice and hope: “educating a person is going beyond imparting knowledge, it is trying to make that child feel safe, feel loved, feel cared for, listened to, that their opinion is valid.” For her, every academic achievement, every smile of a student is proof that migration can be transformed into integration.

Through these experiences, both demonstrate that migrating is not synonymous with loss or abandonment: it can also be resistance, reconstruction and contribution. With tutoring sessions, socio-emotional accompaniment, support to adapt to the Peruvian educational system and spaces of containment, they do much more than teach: they build community.

Why do these stories matter? The Peruvian migratory context in 2025

The migratory context in Peru is complex. With almost two million Venezuelan migrants and refugees, the country faces enormous challenges in terms of regularization, social integration, access to services, decent work and elimination of xenophobia that affects their quality of life and opportunities.

However, migratory regularization continues to be a challenge: the relaxation of requirements that previously existed was reduced, which limits the possibilities of access to formal employment, basic services and real integration.

In this context, education emerges not only as a right, but as a key tool to achieve integration, social cohesion and sustainable development.

Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

Aprender Sin Barreras: A concrete commitment to educational integration and inclusion

Thanks to funding from Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the Aprender Sin Barreras program  represents a commitment to the rights of refugee, migrant and host community children and adolescents. The commitment goes beyond formal or conventional learning: it focuses on comprehensive well-being, socio-emotional containment, inclusion, belonging and empowerment.

Within this program, Diverticlases is implemented, a space where Andrea and Rossy develop school reinforcement sessions with dedication and vocation to build safe and comprehensive spaces. It’s not just about letters or numbers, it’s about providing refuge, belonging, and self-love; and this is what she represents in Rossy: “it fills you with satisfaction that a child can feel safe, can feel free to participate, to be able to respond (…) and as a teacher we must understand, have the patience, have the wisdom of how to reach each of them so that they can learn.”

This is a reminder that each migrant is not a number: he is a person with illusions, capacities and the will to contribute. As they themselves feel, “to educate is to love”. And that, in a context like the current one, is priceless.

Photo by Susan Lavado, © RET International

A call to action: For the integration, education and dignity of those who migrate

When we commemorate International Migrants Day, we make visible the positive impact of migration and, in turn, we renew our commitment: to continue betting on promoting real integration policies, for investments in inclusive education, for spaces that recognize diversity.

Peru has the possibility of transforming a humanitarian crisis into an opportunity for collective growth. Supporting initiatives such as Learning Without Barriers, strengthening migratory regularization programs, providing access to services, promoting intercultural coexistence: all of this goes from being an option to a responsibility.

The stories of these two migrant teachers – with their determination, dedication and conviction – remind us that migrating can also mean teaching, transforming, adding, building. Today, more than ever, their voices need to be heard, their work needs to be valued, and their presence needs to be recognized.

Because in the end, investing in the education of migrant children and adolescents – and their families – is investing in the future.

The Multi-Year Resilience Program “Aprender Sin Barreras” is funded by Education Cannot Wait (ECW), led by RET, in partnership with ASOVENTRU, PLAN International and UNESCO Peru.

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