Arianna, an 18-year-old girl, fled Venezuela after receiving threats due to her sexual orientation from the gangs operating in her school. Searching for a safe place to continue her studies and fulfill her dream of becoming a doctor, Arianna walked for several weeks across Colombia to join up with her older sister in Ecuador. During the journey, Arianna had to deal with discrimination and situations that put her life at risk. However, this young woman received support and solidarity from people she met on the way and who tried to help her.

This is a story that aims to raise society’s awareness of one of the biggest displacement phenomena of the century, generate empathy in order to combat xenophobia, and demonstrate the role of humanitarian aid and international cooperation in response to displacement crises. 

Arianna’s story echoes that of hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world who, every year, are forced to flee their countries, often taking dangerous journeys in order to save their own lives, build a future and achieve their dreams.