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Contribution to comprehensive care and income generation for 150 families displaced from the urban area of the municipality of Cali.
Carmen Mondragon is an Afro-descendant woman who comes from the municipality of Buenaventura, mother of 7 children, currently living with 3 daughters under 18 years of age. She is a tireless worker, dedicated mother and head of the household.
Her life takes place between the municipality of Buenaventura and Cali, her story begins with memories, some less painful than others, she thinks that she has been strong and that faith has brought her here, along with her family and her dreams of being a better person, opening a restaurant and buy his own house like the one he lost to the guerrillas. That house that she built with effort and perseverance, the one that today is just a memory that makes her cry and that leads her to imagine what her life would be like if she had not had the courage to flee after such a forceful threat.
His life passes between pain, despair and overcoming, for some getting up every day is a challenge that they face with integrity and optimism, united with their faith in God and the idea that tomorrow will be better than the day that passed.
She is a strong, determined and fighting woman, she does not forget but she knows that memories cannot be stronger or more stubborn than the awareness, satisfaction and tranquility of living for a reason and fighting for it.
Her children and her desire to live and not just to survive encourage her to set out on the path and value what others who, without knowing her, are capable of giving her a hand. He does not demand anything, he only wants collaboration to provide a better quality of life for his family.
I come from Buenaventura, I lived almost all my life there, my family lived near Buenaventura. I lived with my 3 daughters and I separated from the husband I had.
I grew up with a friend of my mother's, because we were very poor and my mother did not have enough for everyone, when I was about 16 years old I got pregnant because I have 4 children with another husband and the lady told me she already has her load so to look for yours. From there with my belly I worked in someone else's house (family home), it was hard for me, and then I went on with my life and decided to work and raise my children alone, then I met the other husband and he was just as irresponsible and jerk, neither He was a good father, just like me, I didn't even know mine. I have worked on everything to get my family ahead; in other people's houses, peeling fish, with a shrimp company that closed and left us on the street, from there I went to live in an invasion in Buenaventura where Plan International gave me a roof and I built it with my effort, it had up to a balcony. And from there I arrived in Cali with my 3 youngest daughters, because the older ones live between Buenaventura and Bogotá.
I fled from Buenaventura leaving my house for which I had fought, I left everything I couldn't help but take off my clothes because it was that or we all die the next day. Everything was very calm there and then the guerrillas and the paramilitaries began to get in and that was damaged, they killed the leader of the junta dismembered when he tried to help us, as well as the boys and everything else.
Once my daughter in 2008 I do not forget the date, in a shooting a stray bullet fell on her and entered her hip and came out through her leg and luckily she is chubby, because it did not take a bone. A neighbor came and told me her daughter fell in the shooting and I got scared.
Then they told me who it had been and I kept quiet but they told the guy that I knew and since he was from one of those groups, the next day he knocked on the door and told me either they leave or tomorrow they all wake up dead and not around here Come back, that same night I took out my clothes and I came to Cali and a cousin, thank God, welcomed me and I was able to stay there, since I knew how to cook little by little I helped myself with that and my frying pan, which is what I live with now and I hope With the help of God and you I can get up more.
The project has helped me a lot, I never thought that they could give me such a collaboration without knowing me, they have taught me to treat people, help my family, to run a business, the advisors have taught me a lot and that money is a blessing that otherwise would not have been possible. I thank God first and then Comfenalco and the OIM for helping me and my family. With this I will get ahead and suddenly in the future I can fulfill my dream of having my own house and stop paying rent and help my daughters to study at least for high school because I did not want to study and look at me here, maybe if They could help me study and learn just like I tell my daughters we can get ahead.
I am going to fight with what they have helped me to set up my business, well look with the spit I can put the chuzos that sell very well and they ask me, the thermos that they gave me for coffee for those who transport that in the afternoon They ask me if I have red so they don't fall asleep, the fryer with two places to be able to make more fritanga and sell more and the table for the customers to sit down. I thank God and you.
