The temporary shelter located in Floridablanca-Santander, operated by SOS Children's Villages Colombia and financed with the support of the Republic of Korea in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), serves people from Venezuela in vulnerable conditions, mainly in transit. A place of rest for many travelers who yearn for a relief from their long journey.

Bucaramanga. April 2022. José Ramírez arrived -together with his wife Marit and their two daughters- in the city of Bucaramanga, after several nights of traveling along Route 66; a road that connects the northeast of Colombia with the rest of the country. On their journey from Venezuela, which began by "trochas" or irregular passes, the Ramírez Calderón family walked for several days, crossing inhospitable and adverse areas due to the climatic conditions of intense heat and cold of the paramo. A challenge they faced in their first time in a new country, as they decided to migrate from their place of origin in search of better job opportunities and welfare for their two daughters.

Without a clear idea of where they could spend the nights and protect themselves, José and his wife decided to rest in one of the points of greatest affluence and presence of refugee and migrant population in the city of Bucaramanga: El Parque del Agua. It is a place of passage on the route taken by hundreds of families, men, women, boys and girls who cross Colombia in search of better living conditions.

It is there where José's family was contacted by officials of Aldeas Infantiles who, in cooperation with IOM, articulate actions to facilitate temporary accommodation that allow these people to take a rest and food to recover energy and continue the journey. This is possible thanks to the financial support of the Republic of Korea.

In the shelter, meals are served according to the time of arrival and the diet provided is in accordance with the needs of the guests. The rooms are equipped to provide the conditions for a restful sleep, in addition to a hot shower to help compensate for the days of intense cold or simply to relieve the fatigue of the hike. This space serves between 300 and 350 people monthly, with an average daily income of 25 to 33 beneficiaries, depending on the dynamics present in the flow of walkers.

Humanitarian assistance is not only aimed at providing lodging and shelter. The beneficiaries also receive legal advice, referral and orientation services. One of the services that stands out is the articulation of humanitarian transportation from the Berlin páramo - a place with temperatures that can reach 0°C - to the Floridablanca area, which means a saving of more than 150km of walking. This is in addition to the accompaniment by trained personnel that the children receive and that, through playful activities, provides a bit of tranquility to rest from the hard days they have spent and allows, for a while, to vindicate play and learning as an essential tool for growth. 

José and his family are an example of the hundreds of beneficiaries who come to this place seeking to change their reality. Although there is no clarity about what is to come, the legal advice they receive allows José and his wife to learn about the network of services that exist in the city. They also receive guidance on how to initiate immigration regularization processes, as well as basic knowledge on how to access their rights, based on national legislation.

The shelter located in Floridablanca is a component of the comprehensive response deployed by IOM, with the support of its partners and donors in the department of Santander, as part of the attention and protection of the rights of the refugee and migrant population. Its role in the territory has made it possible, in addition to providing a housing service, to identify other needs related to the adaptation of the Venezuelan national population to the host sites.