Superbook Brings Hope to Venezuelan Refugees

Due to the current political upheaval in Venezuela, citizens have been flooding to the border, trying to escape to Colombia. Conditions in Venezuela have been dire for some time, with most people unable to obtain even the most basic necessities. However, escaping the country comes with its own difficulties, as most refugees have no place to go and absolutely nothing but the clothes on their backs.

CBN’s Operation Blessing (OB) has stepped in to offer help by collaborating with local churches, YWAM, and other humanitarian organizations in order to provide for needs wherever they can. So far, there are three main locations where OB has been working. The first is La Trocha, which is a crossing point at the border where a high volume of people have been pouring through. The second is the route to Pamplona, which is where many cross who intend to head further into Colombia. The third location is Talento, where some Venezuelan refugees have settled in to reside.

At each of these locations, OB is working on setting up a clean water station, medical treatment, and a place to hand out nutritious food, since many refugees are not only dehydrated, but also malnourished. Marta Duque, who runs an over-night shelter in Pamplona, said she observed that the children outnumber the women who come to stay, three to one. Because of the high number of children entering these shelters, and the different locations where refugees have been passing through or settling, it’s vital to provide for the individual needs of the children. That is where Superbook comes in.

Every day since Operation Blessing has arrived, they have shown episodes of Superbook to the children. Lately they have been enjoying “Job,” “Let My People Go!,” and “A Giant Adventure.” The children also receive Superbook materials, including the Superbook-themed The Book of Hope, which is produced by OneHope, one of our ministry partners. The local YWAM teams are even being trained in how to use Superbook as part of their current evangelistic outreach so that they can reach more refugee kids and families.

Every time the Superbook team shows any of the episodes, they introduce the children to the Salvation Poem song and ask them if they would like to pray and receive God as their Savior. At one of the showings, a little boy who had prayed the prayer earlier in the day asked if he could pray again, because at first he wasn’t sure what he was doing. After talking with a team member, he said that he was now absolutely sure, so he prayed to accept Jesus—this time with full assurance.

There have been so many stories like this one in such a short period of time. Children who are going through the worst experience of their lives are finding a little bit of comfort through Superbook. It’s so much more than just a television show to them. For these refugee families, it’s a small taste or normality—of hope.

Check back again for more information as we continue to help the people of Venezuela!