Sunlight pours into the patios of a three-story colonial house in Quito’s historic centre. Long ago, these same hallways were once walked by Eugenio and Manuela Espejo, siblings remembered as early heroes of Ecuador’s independence. The walls hold echoes of conversations that shaped a nation and the worn floors still carry the marks of its past. Today, however, the house is quiet. The only sound is the soft mewing of kittens, brought in by a migrant who now calls this place home.

After the Espejo siblings passed away, Francisco Bucheli’s great-great-grandmother bought the property. She raised her children there and watched her grandchildren play in its corridors. Over the decades, the building passed from one generation to the next, its roof ageing and its doors beginning to creak. The house remains in the family to this day, but its purpose is different. Now, Francisco and his family are writing a new chapter, turning the house into a refuge and a place for new beginnings.

Moisés Gonzáles, a Venezuelan migrant, lives in the house with his family and pets. Photo: IOM 2025/Astrid Paz

Among those living this new chapter is Moisés. He hasn’t left for work yet. This morning, he’s in his apartment with his sister, nephew, and cats. The meowing comes from the space they rent from Francisco in this heritage home, standing here since 1651.

Neither Moisés nor the other residents seem fully aware of the building’s historical significance. What matters most to them is far more immediate and human: having a place to call home. It is space for their children to run, play, and grow – a world away from the cramped rooms they first stayed in after arriving in Ecuador.

“We stayed with a friend of my sister’s,” says 27-year-old Moisés, who left Venezuela in search of a better life for his son. “You always feel like you’re in the way. That first year was hard.” Once he started working as a delivery driver, the family moved again. “It was really small,” he recalls, “but the landlord let us pay in instalments, which was a big relief.”

The difference between that place and where they live now is more than just square meters – it’s about peace of mind. “I feel calm here,” he says. “And when you have a family, that’s what matters most.”

Sermary and her husband are grateful to have a place where their two children can live with dignity. Photo: IOM 2025/Astrid Paz

Upstairs, on the third floor, live Karen and Abdel, friends of Moisés’ son. Their family has lived in the house the longest, six years since they arrived from Venezuela. Their mother, Sermary, tears up when talking about their journey. “Losing everything and starting over isn’t easy. But God has blessed us,” she says.

She’s grateful, not just for having a roof over their heads but for a landlord like Francisco and the community around them. Among their neighbours is Katherine, who lives just across from Moisés with her two children, her infant granddaughter, and a cat. They too came from Venezuela, hoping to build a better life.

They’ve been in the house for three months now. “It’s hard to find someone who’ll rent to you when you’re a foreigner,” Katherine explains. “But thanks to some Ecuadorian friends, we managed to find this place.”

For many migrants in Ecuador, safe and dignified housing is one of the first and most urgent needs. Most rely on rentals, but finding a space that’s adequate, welcoming, and affordable is no easy task.

Landlord Francisco Bucheli believes that every migrant who has lived in the house has helped build a stronger, more connected community. Photo: IOM 2025/Astrid Paz

In response to the urgent need for safe and dignified housing for migrants, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Ecuador created the Landlords Network, a growing initiative now made up of more than 150 people, including Francisco.

“We have found real support in Francisco,” says Moisés. Sermary and Katherine echo the sentiment. “He’s a wonderful person. Living here has been a good experience,” adds Katherine. She now works as a cook. “It hasn’t been easy, but I’ve adapted. I even know how to make encebollado fish stew now,” she proudly declares.

The sense of integration in this small community is tangible, not just in the stories they share but in the calm that fills the house. Much of that calm comes from Francisco himself.

Long before joining the Landlords Network, Francisco was already renting to migrant families, many of whom came to him through word of mouth. It was through these relationships that he became part of the project. With IOM’s support, five of the house’s apartments were upgraded, and a communal space was created with a bathroom, kitchen, washing machines, and even a wood-fired oven.

Katherine feels at home in the house and the neighbourhood, with everything she needs close by, which she considers a privilege with a baby in the family. Photo: IOM 2025/Astrid Paz

Francisco doesn’t depend on rent to make a living. What he charges is modest, especially in the context of Ecuador’s minimum wage and housing market. His motivation is personal – he too was once a migrant.

“You never know when life might put you in the same situation,” he reflects. “And when someone reaches out a hand, that feeling stays with you.”

That’s why being part of the Landlords Network means more to him than a rental agreement. It allows him to offer rental subsidies to families who need them and to extend not just a place to live but a sense of belonging.

His generosity and empathy have made him much more than a landlord. For the families here, he is a neighbour, a friend, and someone who helps lighten the weight of starting over.

“It’s not about how much you have, it’s about your willingness to give,” he says. “There are families who arrive with their whole lives packed into a single suitcase. That’s why giving can make all the difference.”

This story was written by Daniela Mejía, Media and Communications Assistant with IOM Ecuador.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is rallying behind Mission 89’s new campaign to address the growing use of sport as a cover for child trafficking. Mission 89, a research and advocacy organization fighting the exploitation of young athletes, is exposing how traffickers increasingly exploit sport to target children, weaponizing dreams of athletic success into channels for abuse and exploitation.

“Sport should be a source of joy and achievement, not a gateway to exploitation. Yet traffickers pray on the ambitions of young athletes, using false promises to lure them into abuse and deception,” said Ugochi Daniels, IOM Deputy Director General for Operations. “Through this campaign, we aim to strengthen protection measures, integrate safeguards into recruitment systems, and ensure that children are safe on and off the field.”

The campaign, dubbed “The Line We Don’t Cross” – The United Declaration on the Elimination of Child Exploitation in Sport – responds to a deeply troubling trend. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), children account for 38 per cent of identified trafficking victims globally. Victims, often youth, are recorded in increasing numbers across the world, sometimes lured under the false pretence of joining sports academies or signing professional sports contracts.

In the Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative database, 11 per cent of child victims globally were trafficked through false promises. Rather than achieving their dreams, these young people often face exploitation, forced labour, or abandonment.

The campaign will draw attention to the structural vulnerabilities in the sports industry, which is valued between USD 471 billion and 1.4 trillion. Unethical recruitment practices and inadequate safeguarding systems often create opportunities for human traffickers to operate, particularly targeting children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“While we continue to celebrate the power of sport, we cannot ignore the risks faced by young athletes,” said Lerina Bright, Founder and Executive Director of Mission 89. “This campaign is about ensuring that every child who dreams through sport is safe, supported, and never exploited.”

The campaign seeks to tackle this issue through a multi-pronged, evidence-based approach. It promotes fair and responsible recruitment and child welfare by encouraging sports institutions, governments, and regional bodies to integrate safeguarding frameworks into their governance structures. It also provides stakeholders practical tools such as training materials, educational content, and prevention guides to help identify risks and protect children more effectively.

For over 25 years, IOM has worked at the forefront of efforts to combat human trafficking, directly assisting nearly 100,000 victims worldwide. This collaboration with Mission 89 aligns with IOM’s longstanding commitment to protect the most vulnerable and promote ethical, safe and rights-based migration pathways for children and youth through platforms promoting safe migration for youth, such as Waka Well.

As part of the campaign, stakeholders are invited to sign an integrity commitment affirming zero tolerance for child trafficking in, through, and around sport. This growing coalition of actors from sports federations and clubs to agents, policymakers, and sponsors represents a united front against exploitation and a shared promise to create safer sporting environments for all young people.

By raising awareness, promoting policy change, and engaging institutions and communities, IOM and Mission 89 are working to ensure that no child is trafficked in the name of sport, and that every young athlete can pursue their passion in safety and dignity and with their rights fully upheld.

Sea- watch International and other NGOs have demanded the release of  Seabird 1detained by the Italian government.

The demand was contained in a statement signed by Sea- watch International and the supporting NGOs .

The demand is reproduced below unedited.  

Italy’s latest decree-law attempts to blind the public to human rights violations and crimes against humanity at sea

We, civil organisations operating aircraft in the central Mediterranean Sea, condemn the recent attacks by the Italian government aimed at obstructing our operations. Under international law, all aircraft enjoy freedom of transit within international airspace and over international waters.

Within this framework, we contribute to documenting human rights violations in the central Mediterranean sea, with the aircraft Seabird 1, Seabird 2 and Seabird 3. When we locate persons in distress, the UNCLOS and the Chicago Convention (Annex 12) provide regulations to which we strictly adhere at all times.

The “Flussi” decree-law (Law 145/2024) restricts our freedom of flight and attempts to close civilian eyes monitoring human rights violations and crimes against humanity in the Mediterranean. It imposes conditions that civilian aircraft must comply with during operations – to inform a set of authorities immediately, and to comply with instructions given by rescue coordination centres – which are already implied in international law. As NGOs operating with aircraft, we have been strictly and continuously abiding by the law since the beginning of our operations. 

However, the Italian authorities can misuse this framework to detain our aircraft and can even force us to abide by illegal orders, disregarding international law and the search and rescue framework. When people are in distress at sea, we are legally obliged to provide assistance, including remaining on-scene in order to relay updated positions to maritime assets. If the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Tripoli or a Libyan patrol boat orders us to leave the area, we are then forced by the decree-law to violate the law.

 International law requires us to stay as long as necessary, while the Italian decree-law dictates that we should leave, or risk aircraft detention and fines upon landing in Italy — even though an Italian court recently confirmed the illegitimacy of the “Libyan Coast Guard” and Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, and despite the fact that we operate in international airspace and waters.

In case of violations, the “Flussi” decree-law establishes fines of up to 10,000€ and detentions of the aircraft for 20 days, 2 months in case of reiterations of a violation and finally, an indefinite confiscation. Without civil eyes over the central Mediterranean, persons in distress are left alone at sea and the public is blind to human rights violations and crimes against humanity.

 Since rescue authorities continue to refuse communication regarding persons in distress at sea, how will NGO and private vessels be supported to conduct rescue operations? Who will report on shipwrecks and non-assistance by the authorities of European member states, or about violent interceptions by EU-funded Libyan actors?

On 7 August 2025, the NGO aircraft Seabird 1 was unlawfully detained for an operation carried out in June. Despite abiding by the law and our normal standard procedures on 30 June, the Italian authorities now claim that Seabird 1 did not “inform them immediately and as a matter of priority” as per the “Flussi” decree-law.

No further details have been provided, thus restricting our right to a fair and proper defense, while also revealing the political motivation behind our detention. Seabird 1 is now hindered from operating for 20 days.

We call upon the Italian state to revoke the detention of the Seabird 1 as well as the “Flussi” decree-law (Law 145/2024). Instead of criminalising the civil society, the Italian state must comply with its duties enshrined in international human rights and maritime law.

First Signatories:

Sea-Watch and Humanitarian Pilots Initiative – operating Seabird 1, Seabird 2 and Seabird 3

Supporting NGOs:

Dakini

European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR)

Fundación Solidaire

MEDITERRANEA Saving Humans

MV Louise Michel Project

Pilotes Volontaires

r42 – Sail And Rescue

RESQSHIP e.V.

SALVAMENTO MARITIMO HUMANITARIO- SMH

Sea-Eye

Seebrücke

SOS Humanity

SOS MEDITERRANEE

United4Rescue – Gemeinsam Retten e.V.

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