UNICEF Migrant support programme changing lives
counsellor sees improved school attendance, learning
For almost two years, 17-year-old Daniela Aura Rosas (not her real name) endured bullying and even verbal and physical assault at the hands of her schoolmates but with the help of United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Ministry of Education through its Migrant Education Support Unit – the future graphic designer and technologist is taking a stand against bullyism, as she charts her own path.
“The children bullied me a lot. I didn’t know how to respond. They would hit me and call me names,” Rosas recalled.
In an attempt to escape the political and economic crisis confronting Venezuela, Rosas and her family, made the difficult decision, in 2019 to leave behind the life they knew and migrate to the birth place of her father – Guyana – with the hope of better days.
At the time, she was just 13-years-old and a student of Unidad Educativa Bolivariana Villa Colombia. Though her family’s decision meant leaving her relatives and friends behind– Rosas looked forward to brighter days.
Rosas, her parents and two siblings arrived in Guyana in 2019. However, due to the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which hit Guyana in March 2020 and triggered a nationwide shutdown, Rosas never went to school until September, 2021.
“When I started school here, it was difficult for me to adapt because as you know I come from another country,” Rosas said while noting that the situation was further compounded by bullying.
She would later be transferred to the Institute of Professional Education on the East Bank of Demerara in Region 4.
It was while studying there that the 17-year-old, in October 2023, enrolled in the ‘Mentorship for Adolescent Girls and Gender Responsive Counselling Programme,’ which focused on migrant adolescents within the local education system.
The programme, which forms part of a larger Canadian funded project implemented through UNICEF – ‘Social Inclusion and Protection for Venezuelan Children, particularly girls on the move’ - is designed to strengthen migrant integration and improve the performance of migrant children in school through a partnership with the Ministry of Education, Guyana.
Rosas said the programme has helped to build her self-esteem and improve her social skills. Importantly, the 17-year-old Venezuelan is now better able to cope with culture shock and daily challenges in and out of school such as bullying, stereotyping and discrimination.
"Migrant children are at a higher risk of dropping out because the curriculum might not be tailored to them or they might be facing other issues like bullying and racism"
“If somebody comes to me and tells me stuff, like bad stuff. I will tell them to stop. I would normally ask them why they are doing this to me, and what’s the reason, and how we can solve it,” she explained.
Akash Persaud – a Senior Guidance and Counselling Officer, attached to the Education Ministry’s Migrant Education Support Unit, said Rosas was one of close to 160 migrant adolescents, who participated in the second phase of the Mentorship for Adolescent Girls and Gender Responsive Counselling Programme, which was conducted in October 2023.
The first phase of the programme was rolled out in July 2023, and benefited approximately 60 Venezuelan adolescent girls, who were taught how to navigate Guyanese culture and society.
In both phases, the migrant children – ages 12-16 – participated in the after-school, face-to-face initiative, four days per week for a period of three weeks, and were supported by teachers, school welfare officers, guidance and counselling officers, and trained psychologists.
Persaud was among the facilitators. He explained that the programme offered cognitive and psychosocial support as well as gender-responsive counselling to migrant teenage girls in schools, who may have been victims of bullying, stereotype and other social issues. Focus was also placed on mental health and self-esteem.
“We also dealt with integration of the migrants into our school system; ensuring that they have all the requirements necessary, along with the skillsets, to be active and positively contributing members of our society. It was also aimed at fostering a sisterhood among the migrant population,” Persaud explained.
He said already the programme has resulted in increased school participation and learning among migrant children. Improvements in their mental health and general well-being have also been recorded with many of the children now engaged in peer advocacy.
“The kids are more vocal, they know what they like, they know what they don’t like and they will let you know when they don’t like something. And that’s one thing I always praise them for being so vocal about what they feel, and what is comfortable to them,” Persaud said.
According to UNICEF’s Education Specialist, Fiona Persaud, the project has benefited approximately 160 migrant children in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), where many migrant families from Venezuela have settled.
“Migrant children are at a higher risk of dropping out because the curriculum might not be tailored to them or they might be facing other issues like bullying and racism. So, in order to address or lower the risk of drop out this is one of the interventions UNICEF has implemented as part of this project funded by Global Affairs Canada,” she explained.
The Education Specialist said while the project has recorded a high level of success, the language barrier remains a challenge.
“We do have teachers, who are Spanish speakers, and we do have social workers who are also Spanish speakers working with the Ministry of Education but individual attention is not always possible. So, interventions for migrant children are not as effective as we would want it to be,” she said while noting there is room for capacity building.
The Social Inclusion and Protection for Venezuelan Children Project is also being implemented in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru with support from UNICEF’s regional office in Panama.
