http://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/en/internacional/noticia/2015-01/headed-new-beginning-haitians-want-stay-brazil (Used by permission)Vladimir Platonow, special reporter from Agencia BrasilThe thousands of Haitians who left their country after the earthquake are responsible for one of the greatest modern diasporas in the history of Latin America. The earthquake, which laid the country to waste five years ago, damaged not only Haiti's basic structure, but also harmed its labor market. Today, having a regular job, with all the benefits inherently attached to it, is a luxurywhich accounts for the search for a dignified life thousands of kilometers away from their native Caribbean coast.According to official data from the state of Acrethe easiest way into the countryof the more than 30 thousand Haitians who crossed the Brazilian border in the last few years, most settled in Sao Paulo or in the southern states, especially Santa Catarina, where, in a municipality called Chapeco, immigrants found work at cold stores. They live on the outskirts of the city and go downtown for shopping.Workers during a break at a cod storeIn spite of long, uninterrupted hours under an average temperature of 8oC devoted to menial work with knives and electric saws, Haitians say they have grown accustomed to their jobs. Their net payapproximately $376.18is far from appealing to Brazilians, which is why the workforce from overseas has been given such a warm welcome at the companies in Brazil. The salary is also viewed as low by Haitians themselves, especially after recent dollar hikes against the real, which have decreased the amount of dollars they can buy and send back to their families in Haiti.With the dollar costing nearly three reais, it's hard to send money back home, where my parents, wife and daughter are. My goal is to bring them over, but the salary is too low, said Nauhm Saint-Julien, who first worked at a cold store, but was subsequently hired as an assistant at a photography studio. He is currently a student at the Federal University of the Southern Border (UFFS), as part of a special program aimed at Haitians.Saint-Julien wants to stay in the country that received him, because his native land would not be able to ensure his employment and education. The economic situation [in Haiti] is bleak. There's nothing to do there. It's really hard to find work. A lot of people with a university degree simply cannot find a job, argued Saint-Julien, who used to work at a notary's office before the natural disaster happened.In 2011, when the migration waves started, Haitians already planned to stay in Brazil. Many of those interviewed in the municipalities of Brasileia and Assis Brasil, in Acre, declared they planned to save money so they could bring their family over. Most of the ones who entered the country are qualified professionals in the fields of medicine, nursing, engineering, and languages, and are fluent speakers of English, French, Spanish and their native Creole. Many of them can hold a conversation in Portuguese, albeit with difficulty.In Chapeco, all other workers are just as resolute, in spite of all initial difficulties. After arriving, newcomers have to share a room with up