A refugee is on the front lines of the fight against climate change in Guatemala.

Description

For Joshua, a refugee who fled gang violence, protecting the threatened tropical forests of his host country, Guatemala, has become both a calling and a moral imperative. When he thinks back to his life back before he arrived in Guatemala, Joshua* struggles to reconcile the person he was then with who he is now. For him, the symbol of that radical personal transformation is the snake. “It used to be that if I saw a snake, my instinctual reaction was to kill it,” recalled Joshua, who was just a teenager when gang threats forced him to flee his home in a neighbouring Central American nation to seek safety in Guatemala. Now, he says handling snakes is one of the highlights of a job which he credits with giving him an entirely new outlook on life. Since early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Joshua has been working as a forest ranger at a natural preserve in southeastern Guatemala. Thanks to a partnership with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, FUNDAECO – the NGO that runs the preserve, as well as more than a dozen other sites throughout Guatemala – prioritizes the hiring of people like Joshua, who have been forced to leave their homes due to violence, targeted threats or persecution. Information for media: If you would like to use this video to communicate refugee stories or require B-Roll, transcripts, stills or much more information, please visit our media page: https://media.unhcr.org --- Keep up to date with our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/unhcr?sub_confirmation=1 -- UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, works to protect and assist those fleeing war and persecution. Since 1950, we have helped tens of millions of people find safety and rebuild their lives. With your support, we can restore hope for many more. Read more at http://UNHCR.org Support our work with refugees now by subscribing to this channel, liking this video and sharing it with your friends and contacts. Thanks so much for your help.

Metadata

Published to Youtube on: 04/11/2022

Archived on: 14/04/2023

Original URL (may no longer be available): https://youtube.com/watch?v=n_0Zmp2Vvjg