UNHCR mobile teams bring help and hope to refugees on Peru’s northern border
UNHCR mobile teams bring help and hope to refugees on Peru’s northern border
A Venezuelan refugee mother talks to a UNHCR staff member at a mobile protection unit in El Canario, northern Peru.
Under an intense midday sun, a white-and-blue truck bounces along the rutted roads of Tumbes province in northern Peru, heading towards remote communities living near the Ecuador border. Inside the vehicle, staff from UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, busily organize legal forms, information leaflets and other supplies as the truck passes stretches of lush vegetation, mangroves and banana plantations.
The destination is El Canario, a small settlement in the district of Aguas Verdes, squeezed between the Zarumilla River and the Pacific Ocean. Dozens of refugee families, mostly from Venezuela, live there in makeshift homes with rusted zinc roofs, far from access to health care, official documentation and formal employment.
The truck parks on a dusty football field in the heart of the community, and the team sets about transforming it into a mobile protection space. A large awning unfolds from the side of the vehicle while two tents are erected nearby to shield families from the tropical sun as they wait for assistance. The interior of the truck is transformed into an office space for confidential meetings.
“Bringing protection closer to border communities like El Canario is essential,” said Óscar Pajuelo, Head of UNHCR’s Field Unit in Tumbes. “Many refugees here are struggling to survive day to day. Without these mobile activities, they would not be able to access reliable information, legal assistance or health support.”
The mobile protection spaces are part of UNHCR’s efforts to make essential services more accessible to refugees and vulnerable Peruvians living far from offices in major towns and cities. Mobile units travel directly to communities where high transportation costs, insecurity or a lack of formal documentation prevent people from seeking help.
“It is also a very efficient way to provide life-saving services,” Pajuelo explained. “The main cost is fuel, but the impact is enormous for people living in remote areas.”
UNHCR’s mobile protection team travelled to El Canario in early May during a community service fair organized together with local authorities and partners. Twenty-four people, most of them women and children, received legal advice, information and support to access documentation and protection services. Peru’s Ombudsman’s Office and a local UNHCR partner, Encuentros, were also present.
Refugee and Peruvian families receive legal advice and other support from UNHCR during a community service event held with local authorities and partners.
For Rosaura López, a 42-year-old refugee from Venezuela, the arrival of the mobile team represents more than just access to essential services; it represents relief.
“There are many people here who fled because they feared for their lives,” she explained. “Some left with their entire families because violence affects everyone around them.”
López arrived in Peru in 2018 after fleeing Venezuela with her two children. Today, she is one of the best-known refugee community leaders in Aguas Verdes. Over the past five years, she has helped refugee families understand their rights, access services and rebuild support networks in the border region.
Moved by the struggles she saw around her, López began organizing activities for women, children and adolescents. With support from UNHCR and partner organizations, she has coordinated educational workshops, relief distributions and support activities for pregnant women.
“I saw so much need and insecurity, especially affecting children,” López said. “At that time, there was nobody supporting Venezuelans here in Aguas Verdes.”
Venezuelan community leader Rosaura López encouraged other refugees to attend the event.
When UNHCR announced the mobile outreach visit to El Canario, López helped spread the word across the community so families knew where and when they could access support.
“It is very important that UNHCR comes closer to the community,” she explained. “Many people do not have money for transportation. Here, they can receive assistance near their homes and feel safer, especially when they are with their children.”
Her motivation to help others was inspired by her own experience of displacement.
“I left behind my home, my bed, my whole life to start over in another country,” López said. “I have had opportunities here and so have my children. I want other families to have those same opportunities too.”
Across Peru’s northern border region, many refugee families face poverty, insecurity and difficulties accessing documentation and basic services. During UNHCR border monitoring interviews in Tumbes province, 45 per cent of refugees said they would be at risk if forced to return to their countries due to generalized violence, while 27 per cent reported specific threats to their lives. Most said they hope to remain in Peru and rebuild their lives in safety.
The situation is particularly difficult for women, children and young people, who often face barriers to education, health care and employment.
UNHCR carries out similar mobile outreach activities every month in Lima and along Peru’s northern and southern borders with Ecuador and Chile. Since the beginning of 2026, more than 1,800 refugees and members of host communities have received support through 33 outreach missions.
UNHCR driver Karent Carrasco steers the mobile protection truck back towards Tumbes, northern Peru, after an outreach activity in El Canario.
The mobile protection units complement six permanent protection centres operated by UNHCR in Lima and Tumbes province. These centres provide legal advice, documentation support and referrals together with key Government institutions and local partners.
Peru hosts 1.64 million Venezuelans forced to flee, making it the second-largest host country for displaced Venezuelans worldwide. After Venezuela, the main countries of origin of refugees and asylum-seekers in Peru are Colombia and Cuba. UNHCR works closely with national and local authorities to support people forced to flee, including women, children and older people.
As the afternoon advances in El Canario, the heat slowly fades, and a cool breeze begins to blow across the football field. One by one, families finish their consultations and begin walking back home carrying information leaflets, referral documents and, for many, a renewed sense of reassurance.
As the sun starts to set, the UNHCR team efficiently dismantle the tents and fold the tables and chairs back into the truck ready for the drive home, following a routine made familiar after many such journeys to help communities that would otherwise remain out of reach.
“For families who have lost so much, knowing where to turn for support can make all the difference. That is why we bring help closer to them,” Pajuelo said.
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