Social adaptation processes of venezuelan families in Manta, Ecuador, year 2019

Investigation article

Abstract

The social adaptation of foreign families is a process of behavioral transformation that families undergo in order to adapt to the rules and regulations of the country in which they are establishing themselves. Migration is a very difficult phase, and in most cases it is due to socioeconomic situations that a country faces. Therefore, the objective of the present investigation consisted in knowing through life stories the processes of social adaptation suffered by three Venezuelan families living in the city of Manta, Ecuador. In the study, unstructured interviews were applied to the Venezuelan families that participated in the sample; in addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals who provided their perception of the subject. It was determined that there is cultural ignorance from their perspective in the crossing and arrival phases; On the other hand, the fears and challenges they face in their social, cultural, and other socio-economic aspects that migrants assume in order to stabilize themselves were determined. The intervention of the social worker in this case is of utmost importance because the human part is needed in conjunction with the application of less professional and less professional mediation techniques to address the situation.

Keywords: Social adaptation, foreign families, social worker intervention.