“People in the community were killed and intimidated”, says Yurani Adriana Rodríguez (25), explaining how she and her family received threats from illegal armed groups. In 2002, they had to flee from their village. They settled down in La Banda in El Tambo, a municipality of Cauca Departement in Colombia.
After the displacement, keeping up with her studies proved difficult. Those who wanted to continue their education had to walk for four hours to school every day.
“This was one of the main reasons I quit my studies”, says Yurani.
Yurani has started her own little business. She acquired a chicken shed, and is able to sell chicken.
In 2011, disputes over the control of drug trafficking in La Banda resulted in new threats from illegal armed groups. They were terrorising the community, as a means to displace people from their territories and silence victims.
"But we were already used to violence,” Yurani says, giving an example: “Once, I was at a party when someone came in with a gun and killed one of the boys who were dancing. The party stopped, but not for long. People get used to war. The party continued.”
In some cases, as a result of violence, women leave the village to seek opportunities in big cities. Men, on the other hand, continue to be forcibly recruited by armed groups. Usually, these paths are accompanied by poverty and death. Yurani knew, however, that her destiny had to be different. Her dream was to return to school.
Bringing out-of-school children and youth back to school is an important part of the protection strategy of the NRC Education Program, partly funded by the 2010 Norwegian Broadcasting Telethon.
“This opportunity changed my life,” says Yurani.
Currently, she studies for eight hours twice a week, and she hopes to finish her high school education in one and a half year. Her husband has been very supportive in her educational process; while Yurani reads her books, he takes care of the housework.
Last month, Yurani acquired a chicken shed, and her maths skills thus have become very useful in her day-to-day life.
“Yesterday someone called me, they needed six chickens and I needed to make calculations: 33 pounds of chicken at $ 3,500 each, how much is it? I no longer have to use my phone or a calculator: it is $115,500," she says smiling.
So, what will she do when she finishes her education – does she have a new dream?
“Thanks to my education, I have left my previous life behind me. In just four months, I started to think different. My thoughts and my actions used to be rather simple, now I think big. Education changed my life. I would like to become a motorbike mechanic; I never want to give up my dreams”.
