The honour of work

Tearfund's partner AGAPE in Colombia is supporting church-led self-help groups for Venezuelan migrant women. Alongside savings and credit, these groups provide opportunities for the women to make friends, help each other and access training. 

Four years ago Zuleima Hernández left Venezuela to live in Barranquilla, Colombia. In this interview she talks about her experiences, her self-help group and the importance of work.

Why did you move to Colombia?

‘One day I was queuing in a supermarket and I said to myself: “This is not what I want for my children, this is not what I want for myself, for my family.” I mean, to endure long queues, sometimes for two days, and when the supermarket finally opens its doors, to find there is no food left… An opportunity arose to come to a friend's house and I made the decision to come.' 

What was it like to move to a different country?

‘My experience of being a migrant in Colombia has been like being born again and starting from scratch, taking one step at a time, growing into the person I am now. I have had both negative and positive experiences. 

‘The hardest thing about leaving Venezuela was leaving my daughters behind because I first came to Colombia only with my son. I missed my parents a lot, my grandparents. We are a large family and it was very difficult. Leaving my house, my home, my memories, my photographs, my paintings… Everything that you have built with your children over the years… it was very difficult to leave it all behind.'

What happened when you arrived?

‘We arrived here and the church received us. A pastor gave me food from her own fridge and some of her granddaughter's clothes. But beyond that the church gave me words of encouragement, words of faith, of hope – not only food and clothing, but a closeness. We are brothers and sisters in the eyes of God and that is what matters most.

‘The church can help, but we must also use our talents, our work. Work is an honour and we must work to be able to support ourselves. I work with wood, mainly driftwood I collect from the beach. I clean and dry the wood, and then use it to make home decoration items.

‘I worked to be able to bring my daughters to Colombia, and I now have this enterprise, this business that I know will last for a long time.'

Tell us about your self-help group

‘Our self-help group is called Faith and Action. At the beginning we established rules including being on time, having tolerance and respect for each other. We agreed on a minimum and a maximum amount of money that each member can save. We also have a social fund that is separate from our savings. That social fund can be used for an emergency.

‘These groups include not only the financial part but they also consider the spiritual part, which is very important in our lives. Maybe we are financially healthy, but if we are not healthy spiritually and emotionally, we will not be whole.’

What are your hopes?

‘I hope for my children that they continue to help the environment, that they study and do what they love. I hope that they will let people know who they are and serve society.’