Brazil: projects for migrants prioritize mental health

Religious women and priests of the Scalabrinian Family, along with psychologists and psychiatrists, support initiatives to assist those who are striving to adapt to a new country. It is a challenging process and the main focus of the project is on the psychological difficulties stemming from the fear of not being able to achieve autonomy.

By Felipe Herrera-Espaliat - Vatican News correspondent in Brazil

Martha María Gavilán, from Cuba, has held different jobs in Brazil, as a janitor in a hotel, assistant electrician, saleswoman in a shop. Her psychological stability proved crucial in finding employment.
Martha María Gavilán, from Cuba, has held different jobs in Brazil, as a janitor in a hotel, assistant electrician, saleswoman in a shop. Her psychological stability proved crucial in finding employment.

Martha María Gavilán’s greatest sorrow when she emigrated from Cuba in 2018 was not in leaving her homeland and family. It wasn't even the never-ending journey by air and land that brought her to São Paulo, Brazil, 6,500 kilometers from Havana. The greatest source of despair for this 47-year-old teacher was to find herself with no prospects for a future after arriving in the megalopolis with her son. She had hoped to settle in Argentina or Uruguay, but her meager savings disappeared so quickly that she was forced to seek shelter at a charity – an unimaginable predicament for her until that moment. That's how one evening she found herself at the door of the Casa del Migrante of Missão Paz, an institution run by Scalabrinian missionaries.

"I spent three days in a room crying and crying because it felt like the end of the world for me," she recounts. But soon, her sadness turned into hope. At Missão Paz, she was given Portuguese lessons, assistance for the procedures to obtain residency in Brazil, and she found her first job as a maid in an international hotel. Later, she held various jobs: cleaning manager at an events center, assistant electrician, and today she works as a saleswoman in a well-known clothing store. However, it was the psychological support she received that marked the turning point for her, as it provided her with the tools to overcome all the challenges of the often two-year-long adaptation process that migrants go through.

Martha María Gavilán’s youngest son has just arrived in São Paulo from Cuba. His mother’s experience will help in the process to adapt to the new culture in which he finds himself. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Martha María Gavilán’s youngest son has just arrived in São Paulo from Cuba. His mother’s experience will help in the process to adapt to the new culture in which he finds himself. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

Focused psychological therapy

According to Berenice Young, a psychologist at Missão Paz, arrival at the chosen destination is the most critical moment for migrants because it forces them to ask a series of questions that don't have immediate answers. "They have to learn a new language, navigate the city, understand how the Brazilian state works, what the requirements and documents are, figure out how to survive in those early days, and whether they will ever find work," as the coordinator of a psychological support program for newcomers explains.

 

This is a short therapy program, consisting of about twelve sessions over three months, which is sufficient time for individuals to understand themselves and the dynamics of adapting to a new society. It prevents the initial instability from leading to despair and a desire to return to their home country when they feel they can't be self-sufficient. Berenice Young assures that interventions of this kind are very effective, although there is a small percentage of people that fall into depression or exhibit psychosomatic problems. These individuals are sent to specialized migrant health centers, where they receive more extended treatment.

Berenice Young, a psychologist at Missão Paz. She runs a programme to accompany migrants who have just arrived helping them understand the dynamics that will enable them to adapt to the new society. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Berenice Young, a psychologist at Missão Paz. She runs a programme to accompany migrants who have just arrived helping them understand the dynamics that will enable them to adapt to the new society. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

Psychological strain and the Ulysses syndrome

A very similar perspective is held by audiovisual director and Rap singer Narrador Kanhanga, who leads an association of over 1,500 Angolan families living in the state of Rio Grande do Sul in the city of Porto Alegre. He settled there in 2005 and, like many of his compatriots, he too faced the psychological strain of integration. Therefore, today, he collaborates to facilitate the employment and integration of newcomers and reduce issues related to obtaining documents.

"When a migrant decides to leave their country, they more or less know what they will have to face before arriving in a new one. But what they don't know is what awaits them once they arrive, who will be there waiting for them, who are the people who can help them, and this creates trauma, significant stress for mental health," Kanganha explains.

Narrador Kanhanga (in the middle, with the black and grey striped shirt) left Angola 18 years ago and settled in Brazil. Today he works closely with other experts to best respond to the challenges faced by migrants. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Narrador Kanhanga (in the middle, with the black and grey striped shirt) left Angola 18 years ago and settled in Brazil. Today he works closely with other experts to best respond to the challenges faced by migrants. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

Psychologist Rodrigo Lages e Silva, a researcher at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, recognizes these symptoms as the so-called Ulysses syndrome, a situation of emotional distress caused by a strong sense of uprooting and not belonging to the place where the person has settled.

"We see people who, after facing many difficulties during the journey, arrive and try to rebuild their lives hoping to find more favorable conditions, but what they find are new difficulties," the psychologist observes.

According to Lages e Silva, this is primarily due to the limitations that migrants face in navigating a new city, finding housing, integrating into educational and healthcare systems. He sadly acknowledges that in Brazil, there are still instances of racism and xenophobia.

Psychologist Rodrigo Lages e Silva (in the middle) explains that the difficulties faced by migrants in the process of integration can create feelings of rootlessness and deep malaise. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Psychologist Rodrigo Lages e Silva (in the middle) explains that the difficulties faced by migrants in the process of integration can create feelings of rootlessness and deep malaise. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

The work of CIBAI in Porto Alegre

Narrador Kanhanga and Rodrigo Lages e Silva are part of a vast network of institutions that collaborate with CIBAI, the Italo-Brazilian Assistance and Migration Study Centre. This institution, founded by Scalabrinian religious in Porto Alegre in 1958, was originally established to welcome Italian migrants who arrived in this region of southern Brazil. However, over the course of history, the places of origin of migratory waves have changed, and CIBAI has assisted people from 52 different nationalities. Today, the majority come from Venezuela, Haiti, Senegal, and Angola.

 

CIBAI’s director, Father Adelmar Barilli, leads a comprehensive response model for migrants, primarily focusing on those who have just arrived, so that none of their most urgent needs go unmet: clothing, food, accommodation, language, employment, psychological support, and more.

"It wouldn't make sense to provide only housing, food, or documents. We aim to offer migrants comprehensive assistance," he emphasizes. The priest observes that a delay of integration into the new country can lead to an increase in mental health problems, as is the case in northern Brazil, in the Boavista region. There, Venezuelans, after crossing the border, sometimes stay up to two years before moving to another region to start a more stable life.

Father Adelmar Barilli (on right) reiterates that it is important to have an integral approach in welcoming migrants. Every day he receives dozens of people at CIBAI in Porto Alegre. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Father Adelmar Barilli (on right) reiterates that it is important to have an integral approach in welcoming migrants. Every day he receives dozens of people at CIBAI in Porto Alegre. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

The effectiveness of psychological "teleassistance"

In Porto Alegre, Scalabrinian sisters are fully dedicated to the cause of migrants. For 23 years they have had an office at the international bus station to connect with people from the moment they set foot in this new land. They also manage four health centers at different locations in this city of one and a half million inhabitants. Furthermore, its from where they implement the "Legame" program, an effective system of "teleassistance,” that is free and confidential, for those seeking psychological support to better cope more with the difficulties of migration than with mental issues.

Sister Jakeline Danetti (on left), a Scalabrinian Missionary, belongs to “Legame”, an innovative programme that offers telematic psychology services to migrants who are in the process of integration in Brazil. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Sister Jakeline Danetti (on left), a Scalabrinian Missionary, belongs to “Legame”, an innovative programme that offers telematic psychology services to migrants who are in the process of integration in Brazil. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

"We provide them with a telephone line so they can call mental health professionals, both psychologists and psychiatrists, who offer support on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis, depending on each individual's needs," explains Sister Jakeline Danetti. If this telematic support is insufficient, they are directed to in-person therapeutic treatment.

The extensive family of Scalabrinian fathers and sisters also works closely with public entities and civil organizations in Brazil, creating multidisciplinary cooperation networks to ensure that migrants are increasingly welcomed, protected, promoted, and integrated into society.

The Scalabrinian Sisters have an office at the international in Porto Alegre, where they welcome migrants as they set foot in Brazil. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
The Scalabrinian Sisters have an office at the international in Porto Alegre, where they welcome migrants as they set foot in Brazil. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Both at Missão Paz in São Paulo, and at CIBAI in Porto Alegre, migrants have free access to Portuguese lessons in order to overcome the first barrier to integration: the language. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Both at Missão Paz in São Paulo, and at CIBAI in Porto Alegre, migrants have free access to Portuguese lessons in order to overcome the first barrier to integration: the language. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Since its foundation in 1958, the Italo-Brazilian Centre for Organization for Assistance and Education for Migrants (CIBAI) has assisted over 46 thousand people in 52 nations. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Since its foundation in 1958, the Italo-Brazilian Centre for Organization for Assistance and Education for Migrants (CIBAI) has assisted over 46 thousand people in 52 nations. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Psychological support is a priority to provide integral ion to migrants. The sisters and priests of the Scalabrinian Family coordinate programmes that support the complex process of adaptation to a new culture. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)
Psychological support is a priority to provide integral ion to migrants. The sisters and priests of the Scalabrinian Family coordinate programmes that support the complex process of adaptation to a new culture. (Giovanni Culmone/Global Solidarity Fund)

Reportage produced in collaboration with the Global Solidarity Fund.

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14 November 2023, 14:19