Weaving networks

A story of resilience and solidarity 

Venezuelan walkers must travel 957 kilometers from the border in Cúcuta, Norte de Santander to Cali, in Valle del Cauca. That means 200 hours of long, strenuous walks.
The basic services that these people can receive on their journey are limited and the paths involve health difficulties, from sunburns, lung diseases due to climate changes, foot conditions due to long walking hours and malnutrition, not having adequate access to food.
Thousands of people decide to walk to leave Venezuela bound for different countries in the region. But their unavoidable step is Colombia. A census conducted by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) found that Venezuelans who leave the border on foot walk an average of 16 hours per day, generally for 13 days.
For Hernán Arias, Project Manager of PASOS at Heartland Alliance International, the rights of migrants and refugees must be guaranteed in Colombian territory because they arrive in the country in need of protection. Rights must also walk with them, and that is why, together with the Ombudsman’s Office, we have installed the first humanitarian tent to care for this population.

Humanitarian tents for catching breath

The humanitarian tents are a protection strategy implemented between the Ombudsman’s Office and Heartland Alliance International, thanks to funding from the U.S. State Department. Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).
The tents have hydration points, a temporary resting place, food and toilet kits, psychosocial care, legal counseling and first aid. Furthermore, this strategy carries an important message: “You are not alone, and your rights accompany you wherever you may go.”
The humanitarian tents are located along the roads of Valle del Cauca, an area with high traffic of migrant and refugee population, especially walkers headed southwest of the country and to Ecuador, Peru, Chile, among others. Colombia is the country in the world that has received the most Venezuelan immigrants, and efforts to guarantee their rights must continue to be combined, especially for those who are in an irregular status and face multiple difficulties.

Our rights also transit!

Marcelo left his country, his family, his dreams and his history. He is a sensitive, empathetic man, concerned about the suffering of others. He understands the needs of migrants because he also suffered them, and that is why he shares what he has achieved so far, even if small. He currently lives in Tuluá, Valle del Cauca, with his little 7-year-old daughter.

“Although I have a good sense of humor, I cry easily when faced with human pain. Since I arrived in Tuluá I have looked for a way to help my fellow countrymen, and in the Humanitarian Tent I saw a way to help my people. I started using my motorcycle to transport the walkers and bring them closer to the Tent. I don’t charge them anything, I just want them to receive some help”.

The Tents are installed in three-day service days. Strategic places are chosen on the migration route in Valle del Cauca, and during those days, services are provided to more than 200 people. It is a way of bringing basic rights to health, food and humanitarian assistance.

“I get involved in the call, I refer people, and I have also received the services myself. This process has allowed me to cope with the grief of leaving my country, to heal some frustrations and to strengthen my skills as a leader of a population whose rights are always at jeopardy”.

Marcelo was able to identify the positive impact his personal process has had on others and establish elements to continue leading and contributing to the improvement of the living conditions of the migrant and refugee population.

“The care and protection services provided at the Tent gave me back hope, I could see not only the mistakes that I can make in the education and care of my daughter because I am a single father, but also play the leading role and have a positive influence on the lives of my daughter and the migrant population. The Tents are a network of support, solidarity and resilience, they are the highest definition of brotherhood”.