More than 3 million people have fled economic and political turmoil in Venezuela. In response, a USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team is providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans fleeing to neighboring countries throughout the region, including Brazil.

Lina brought only what she could carry when she fled the deepening crisis in her native Venezuela.

She’s one of the hundreds of Venezuelans arriving in Brazil every day in search of a better life.

I met Lina in Brazil’s Roraima State — which borders Venezuela — where I am serving on USAID’s Regional Venezuela Crisis Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART).

As the Brazil Program Coordinator on the DART, I frequently travel to Brazilian border communities that are hosting Venezuelan migrants to assess needs and coordinate USAID’s emergency response with local authorities, the United Nations and other humanitarian partners.

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