TUMBES, Peru – Young people emigrating from Venezuela experience a mix of optimism and apprehension about starting new lives in Peru. One nongovernmental organization is helping them acclimate through the Friendly Spaces program at the border of Peru and Ecuador.
Emily Peña, 19, fled Venezuela more than two years ago because "it was practically unavoidable," she says. She arrived in Peru knowing no one, and has gone home to visit only once, for about a week. (Photo by Molly Duerig/Cronkite Borderlands Project)
Emily Peña, 19, polishes jewelry in the shop she runs in one of Lima's Incan Markets. Peña tried to study in Peru for a while but couldn't balance school and work. She'd like to resume her psychology studies. (Photo by Molly Duerig/Cronkite Borderlands Project)
Peña struggled to accustom to Peruvian culture at first, she says, as it's "completely different" from her own in Venezuela. (Photo by Molly Duerig/Cronkite Borderlands Project)
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