More than a year after moving to Roraima to help Venezuelan refugees, billionaire Carlos Wizard estimates that the situation is likely to get worse. According to the businessman, since August 2018, he and his wife have managed to help settle 6,000 immigrants. For Wizard, the private initiative has had a higher impact than public efforts.
Last month, the federally sponsored Operation Welcomed launched a new phase. In nine months of Bolsonaro administration, the government says it has settled 10,000 people.
“Sometimes, I think it is possible to improve the efficiency of NGOs and the Armed Forces. This is me, my wife, and God. They are hundreds,” Wizard said.
The businessman received support from airlines that transport Venezuelans to other states, where there are jobs offered by companies like CSN, JBS, and others, he said.
Wizard leaves Roraima to travel to Brasilia about once a month. He says he has addressed the issue in meetings with ministers Ernesto Araújo (Foreign Affairs), Damares Alves (Human Rights), Osmar Terra (Citizenship), and First Lady Michele Bolsonaro, who collaborated in recording a video.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon