Forced Abroad, Venezuelans Prepare for a Freer Future at Home

Under Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian socialist rule, Venezuela has suffered severe economic collapse and hyperinflation resulting in mass emigration for more than a decade. Basic necessities have become luxuries, and millions face political repression, food insecurity, blackouts, water shortages, and severe curtailment of freedom.

Peru has become a major destination for Venezuelan migrants and refugees, and over 1.5 million have arrived seeking a better future. Some 500,000 people have applied for asylum, more than anywhere else in the world. As one of South America’s fastest-growing economies, Peru offers relative political stability and job prospects compared with Venezuela’s deteriorating conditions.

Alfredo Flores is a Venezuelan migrant and executive director of Ciudadanía sin Fronteras, an organization that contributes to advancing freedom and opportunity in Latin America by making sure people displaced by authoritarianism in the region have the opportunity to succeed in the countries where they have sought refuge. His initiative, Global Talents, seeks to connect unemployed professionally and technically skilled migrants with employment opportunities. At the same time it will train employers on how to more effectively recruit these job-seekers.

Despite their qualifications, many Venezuelan professionals have struggled to find employment in Peru. Many employers lack the knowledge of how to hire migrants and refugees. Despite a third of migrant Venezuelans in Peru having professional and technical qualifications, only 14% are working in their respective fields, leaving countless engineers, doctors, teachers, and technicians underemployed or struggling in informal jobs. Simultaneously, Peru faces an annual shortage of 300,000 qualified technicians—an economic gap that Venezuelan migrants are clearly positioned to fill.

“We have a challenge,” Alfredo explains. “One million Venezuelan immigrants are in Lima alone, the city with the highest number of migrants in the Western Hemisphere. If we don’t integrate them into the economy, we are losing an immense opportunity.”

Alfredo’s own experience leaving Venezuela in 2017 fuels his determination to empower other Venezuelans to contribute to society.

“When you are an immigrant, you sometimes feel alone because you have to start over,” he shares. “But we are not just victims; we are talented individuals who can recover our future.”

Through Global Talents, Alfredo is working to change the perception of Venezuelan migrants in Peru. He believes educating and integrating migrants into a new society is not only important for the host country but also for the future of Venezuela, when the Maduro regime finally ends.

“We think it’s important to prepare them for the reconstruction of a country that could soon be a democratic country again,” Alfredo explains.

In addition to partnering with companies to educate employers on the benefits of hiring migrants and refugees, his organization offers training programs in financial literacy, soft skills, and technical expertise to ensure that Venezuelans are not only job-ready but also empowered to build stable careers and lives in a new country.

During the most recent Latin America Liberty Forum 2025, Flores won Atlas Network’s Think Tank Shark Tank pitch competition, securing $15,000 in seed funding for his organization. With the backing and support of Atlas Network, including training offered by Atlas Network Academy, Alfredo and his team are poised to expand their reach. With this funding, Global Talents will connect 4,000 more Venezuelan migrants to employment opportunities, train 800 individuals in professional development, and host six job fairs, benefiting more than 35,000 people.

“We always have to think big,” Alfredo says. “This is not just about one city or one country; this model can be expanded to Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina, where millions of Venezuelans are also seeking new beginnings.”

Stories like Alfredo’s serve as a reminder that those fleeing oppressive regimes are seeking the opportunity to contribute and create better futures, not only for themselves but for the societies that welcome them.

“This is our investment in a better future, for Peru, for Venezuelan migrants, and for the world.”