Jhonny is a 28-year-old from Maracaibo, Venezuela. Before making the decision to migrate to Colombia, Jhonny, along with his wife and children, was engaged in informal trade. But in the face of the significant crisis unleashed in his country, in 2017 he made the decision to leave and embark in a new direction that would allow him to support his family.
Initially, Jhonny decided to migrate alone in order to settle in before moving his entire family. Upon entering Colombian territory at an unauthorized crossing in the department of La Guajira, he decided to settle in the capital of Riohacha.
Once there and with no contacts in Colombia, Jhonny found himself living on the streets for a month while raising enough money to rent a room with the first job he got as a street bread vendor. After that first job, other associates came to the search, painting houses, fixing damages in houses, etc. This way Jhonny managed to send some money to his family in Venezuela. Fortunately, during this time there was an opportunity to legalize the migrant population in Colombia and Jhonny accessed this service, thus obtaining his Special Permanent License (Permiso Especial de Permanencia, PEP).
Initially, Jhonny decided to migrate alone in order to settle in before moving his entire family. Upon entering Colombian territory at an unauthorized crossing in the department of La Guajira, he decided to settle in the capital of Riohacha.
Once there and with no contacts in Colombia, Jhonny found himself living on the streets for a month while raising enough money to rent a room with the first job he got as a street bread vendor. After that first job, other associates came to the search, painting houses, fixing damages in houses, etc. This way Jhonny managed to send some money to his family in Venezuela. Fortunately, during this time there was an opportunity to legalize the migrant population in Colombia and Jhonny accessed this service, thus obtaining his Special Permanent License (Permiso Especial de Permanencia, PEP).
A year and a half after Jhonny arrived in Colombia, he could finally bring his wife and two small children, 5 and 2. They located in a depressed neighborhood in Riohacha called Villa Fátima (known for mainly housing the extremely poor, migrants and the indigenous population).
Some time later, Jhonny met a man in the dispatch and delivery business using motorcycles, and this is how our participant began working as a deliveryman, providing for his family.
Under the umbrella of the Integrating Horizons livelihood program from PADF and PRM, the process starts with identifying participants that can be empowered through self-employment. Then, thanks to a referral from a civil society organization in the city, the participant is given priority in order to begin the process of identification, strengthening and support for his home delivery business.
A year and a half after Jhonny arrived in Colombia, he could finally bring his wife and two small children, 5 and 2. They located in a depressed neighborhood in Riohacha called Villa Fátima (known for mainly housing the extremely poor, migrants and the indigenous population).
Some time later, Jhonny met a man in the dispatch and delivery business using motorcycles, and this is how our participant began working as a deliveryman, providing for his family.
Under the umbrella of the Integrating Horizons livelihood program from PADF and PRM, the process starts with identifying participants that can be empowered through self-employment. Then, thanks to a referral from a civil society organization in the city, the participant is given priority in order to begin the process of identification, strengthening and support for his home delivery business.
Jhonny’s production unit (Domi Jhonny) is quite an opportunity in a city like Riohacha, given the growing number of restaurant services and other goods with home delivery available. His wife is involved as an operator; she takes orders and serves as the communication bridge between the dispatch site and Jhonny. Currently, the income from this activity ranges from $400 to $600 a month.
With the support provided by PADF, Johnny’s production unit was strengthened through trainings in marketing, finance and management, as well as in developing a process of capitalization for the business. This all contributed to increasing his service capacity and coverage throughout the city, and strengthening his industrial safety and productivity. Additionally, given the current state of emergency, there was a significant increase in the demand for home delivery, which has allowed Jhonny to expand, employing 3 people in his business.
