Noticias
Ninety Medellin Demobilized Fighters Are Now “Sewing” Their Way Back Into Civilian Life
September 11, 2009
Ninety Medellin demobilized fighters will graduate today, September 11, from a training program that offers them skills as technicians in the clothing industry, to perform tasks such as binding, trimming and finishing apparel. These former combatants received career counseling to help them define their occupational profile and strengthen their family nuclei. They also received psychosocial counseling and support to complete productive projects. This initiative was made possible thanks to the High Commissioner for Reintegration (ACR); the U.S. Embassy through its Agency for International Development (USAID); the Minuto de Dios Clothing Industry Corporation; the Medellin Mayor’s Office’s Program for Peace and Reconciliation and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) who, since 2007, teamed-up to develop a job-training program.
This project helped establish a children’s apparel workshop that will provide maquila services to top companies such as C.I. Hermeco S.A and its children apparel trademark OFFCORSS.
This training project is worth USD 421,992 submitted as follows: USAID provided nearly USD 236,704, ACR and the Medellín Mayor’s Office USD 105,000 and the Minuto de Dios Clothing Industry Corporation 80,288.