David lived with his wife and young son in Venezuela; given the situation in their country, they began to plan their migration to Colombia. He says that the main basic services for a dignified life were increasingly precarious and deficient; in addition, the income they earned from their work was not enough to pay for food, much less for medical care. The time came when they were left without sufficient resources.

They decided to sell what they still had and raise money for their trip and to cover their basic needs for the first few days. They left for Medellín, where David’s sister was already living and could provide support. They traveled 28 hours and faced various situations at the border and on their journey; leaving Venezuela was not easy.

After a few months they managed to find a place to live and little by little they have begun to rebuild their lives and try to obtain what they need; however, since they were in Venezuela one of their biggest concerns was the health of their son, who has suffered from asthma, and there he could not access a complete treatment. This situation has worsened due to temperature changes and because David and his wife, as irregular migrants, do not have access to the Colombian health system or to a formal job to generate sufficient resources to pay for private medical consultations. They have sought timely medical attention at health centers but have been denied service or treatment.

The neighbor who rented where they live today told them about ADRA and the assistance it provides to the migrant population. This is how David got in touch with the ADRA team; together with his family, they were registered in a timely manner in the migrant response project (Global Initiative for the Americas), which ADRA implements with the support of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and received care at the associated clinic Adventist University IPS. David’s son had his first medical consultation, received medication and laboratory tests to start the respective treatment and has continued to attend medical consultations for control and follow-up; his entire family has also attended the doctor, and all received the project’s identification card, which allows them to receive care during the life of the project.

David shares with us that: “…we came here, and they treated us wonderfully”.
“I was one of those who could never go to the doctor, I didn’t know how I was and here they have taken care of me, they have given me these check-ups; I didn’t even know I was suffering from high blood pressure and that was hurting me and here I am taking care of it, regulating it… Here at ADRA the doctor sees the child, sends him for the test, sees what damage he has, this has been a blessing for us”.

“…. We were told that here in Medellin there were organizations that were helping Venezuelans, but we did not know the level…. I am amazed, we thank God every day for this help, we really do, may God bless them, and may he continue to multiply them, and may they also reach other people who do not have this help.”