News
U.S. Supports 75 Demobilized People Who Manufacture Footwear and Leather Goods for a Living
Thanks to the support provided by the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID), 75 people who are currently in the process of returning to civilian life will be part of the Footwear School Workshop program in Bogota that will train them in footwear and leather goods manufacture. The launching ceremony will take place Wednesday, October 7 at 4:00 PM in the Leon Valencia School Auditorium, Restrepo District. This district is well-known for its high concentration of displaced individuals and families, and for the number of people traditionally dedicated to manufacturing footwear and leather goods.
This initiative is financed by both USAID, which contributed US$ 91,123 and the Leather and Footwear Productive Development Center, which donated US$ 72,069.
The first 29 demobilized people already started their technical and hands-on training on several of the machines and footwear manufacture techniques. They also receive psychosocial and professional counseling so they may plan their future and ease their transition into a working environment.
This program is the result of a pilot test performed to assess the viability of this initiative. The project was then designed and resources assigned to equip the School. This pilot test became a reality thanks to a US$170.000 agreement signed by the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, the Bogotá Mayor’s Office, the High Council on Reintegration (ACR in Spanish), USAID and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). This project, carried out between December 2006 and March 2009, sought to raise the private sector’s awareness and link it to the reintegration process.
Bogota D.C., October 6, 2009