Todos los recuerdos de Antonio y sus lecciones de vida son actualmente el insumo del que alimenta sus relatos.

En cada conferencia describe con detalle a través de sus testimonios la cruda realidad que se vive en las zonas rurales de Colombia. Siguiendo sus narraciones es posible ver las consecuencias que la población civil vive por causa del conflicto armado. Él lo describe con estas palabras: “cuento estas historias con el fin de crear conciencia en los jóvenes que son vulnerables al reclutamiento que hoy azota nuestro país. Son las vivencias que por más de 20 años me hicieron fuerte, maduro; no tanto por mis años de vida, sino porque en ausencia de mi niñez viví prematuramente lo que nadie quisiera vivir”.

El inicio de la labor del Comité Intergubernamental para las Migraciones Europeas (CIME) en Colombia, ahora la OIM, fue marcado por la llegada de refugiados europeos en los años 1956 y 1957. La primera gran oleada fue de migrantes húngaros, quienes huyeron de la violencia en su país como consecuencia de la revolución contra el dominio soviético.

Américo Vespucci, fue el barco testigo de la aventura que iniciaron cerca de mil europeos, que decidieron emigrar hacia América y que para muchos tendría como destino final Colombia.

Migrating is much like being born for a second time. Although we come to our new homeland as adults, we have to adapt quickly in order to survive. I have become a fast and pragmatic thinker. And I am persistent, as are many migrants. We have to fight for our very existence and that makes us stronger.

I returned to Georgia with IOM to work with a micro­finance organization. I was only there for three weeks but I worked day and night, making optimum use of every single minute. The enthusiasm of the employees gave me the energy to keep going. They were very accepting and understood me and what I was trying to do. I worked with all the employees, including management, and I reviewed with them the subjects relating to their fields.

Reviews and Recommendations

We covered a broad spectrum of topics, including internal strategy, how employees approach their jobs and their future pos si ­ bili ties, how to ascertain whether a client is successfully using the money they borrowed, professional conduct and communication, particularly how to better communicate with clients. At the end, I conducted a company­wide exam and produced a report with my recommendations, including a plan for the company that extends to 2012.

The positive feedback I received afterwards made all the hard work worthwhile. They said I had brought an extraordinary vision with me that has led to a singular change within the company. Everyone made sure to let me know that my knowledge and expertise were extremely valuable and appreciated.

Rewards and Results

It’s so rewarding to see the results of what I do. Each individual outcome makes me happy and gives me the impetus to continue and move on to the next step. The TRQN project is a remarkable initiative and I have seen for myself what it has done for Georgia. Migrants are unique people with immense potential, partly because they can simultaneously exist within two cultures and therefore become a bridge between two different countries. IOM has successfully utilized that potential and now, migrants can prove to themselves and others that they can contribute to development in their homelands. This discovery is what IOM has given to us and for that, I thank them.

I participated in a three day cultural orientation course. All of us refugees came from different places; each one of us had a different background, a different culture, a different life style. Our cultural identity also differed from the new country where we will be resettled. We needed to have some basic idea about the country where we will live in the future. The course and the material were beneficial for us who were about to start a new life.

One of the greatest challenges after my ordeal was facing the high expectations in my rural village. Because I had come from abroad, everybody expected me to be rich. I have lost the respect of my siblings because I came back empty handed. I am, however, grateful to my parents who have been very understanding.

I always make it clear that I don’t make any political statements, I make legal statements. There will not be any meaningful development in a country if little importance is attached to the rule of law. Where there is a rule of law, people will get political, social and economic justice.