In January of 1985 Marcos Monsalve was just 12 years old and fresh
out of elementary school when he was recruited by an illegal
guerrilla group in the southern department of Caqueta.

Until his forced recruitment, Marcos had lived the life of a
regular peasant child.  After school he helped his parents in
the family business: the production of brown sugarloaf and
"guarapo" (a local alcoholic drink made from sugar cane).

Being in the guerrilla, Marcos had no choice but to learn the
tasks of a patrol man.  He was put in charge of 300 men who
were guarding 57 rural settlements.

During his time in the guerrilla, Marcos fell I love with a
woman he met in one of the settlements he guarded and they got
married.

Marcos was 21 years old when decided to escape the
guerrilla.  When he heard that his wife and three children had
been told that he was killed in combat; he imagined their sadness
and pictured his own death, and decided it was time to quit: 
"Not only did I get my family back, but my freedom and my life",
explains the ex-combatant.

"I never had the chance to go to school to learn any skills,"
says Marcos as he sews some pieces of synthetic leather at the
Footwear School/Workshop in Bogota.  "Now I'm finishing
seventh grade and I have discovered that I'm good with the sewing
machine," he adds with a smile.

Marcos is one of the beneficiaries of the Footwear
School/Workshop that was established with technical support from
IOM and funding from the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID). 

The aim of the programme is to offer training and employment
opportunities to the men and women who are going through the
reintegration process.

"We are making some special shoes today.  These 100 pairs
will be donated to members of the police and military injured in
combat," Marcos explains and he continues sewing.

Like Marcos, 49 other demobilized persons have finished their
training as shoemakers and are hard at work making shoes.

Since 2006 IOM and USAID have supported the Reintegration
Programme of the Colombian Government led by the Presidential High
Council for Reintegration.  The Footwear School/Workshop in
Bogota, which also provides training and employment to the local
community, is a pilot project that is being implemented with
support from the Mayor's office and the Chamber of Commerce.

For Marcos, being part of this project gave him the opportunity
to learn a new skill and to build relationships and work in the
private sector. 

So far, the Footwear School/Workshop has trained 77 persons
including demobilized people and their families, displaced persons,
women heads of household and the local community.  So far, 23
graduates have been hired by the companies where they performed
their internships.

"With these shoes we are not only showing the country our
willingness to change our lives and the history of Colombia, but
that we are able to be productive and part of the private sector,"
states Marcos with a proud grin.

But reintegrating into civilian life hasn't being easy for
Marcos.  He has been the target of two attempts against his
life perpetrated by his former guerrilla group.  But this will
not deter him, because he believes he is building a new life for
himself and his family and for the country. "All I want is to have
a good job and to be able to give my children a good
education."

According to Colombia's High Commissioner for Reintegration
51,000 persons have demobilized from illegal armed groups; 35,000
of them as a result of negotiations between the Colombian
Government and the self-defense armed groups between 2003 and 2006,
and the remaining 16,000 have deserted individually from guerilla
and other illegal armed groups. The demobilization, disarmament and
reintegration (DDR) process includes psychosocial support, income
generation projects and occupational training to ensure that the
ex-combatants will not return to illegal activities.

In 2006, IOM began implementing its Community-Oriented
Reintegration Assistance Programme with funding from USAID. The
programme supports the Government's Peace Process by helping
demobilized persons and their families to reintegrate into civilian
life, and victims gain access to truth, justice and
compensation.