Raúl opened his furniture business RAFERLO six
years ago shortly after arriving in the city of Florencia, located
in the southern Department of Caquetá.



Since then he has dedicated all of his energy, time and creativity
to the business. “I started with very little money but with
lots of drive,” he recalls.



In 2001, Raúl was awarded a small business loan by
IOM’s program Post Emergency Assistance for Internally
Displaced, Vulnerable Populations and Receptor Communities.
The money he received from the IOM program, funded by the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), allowed him to
begin designing and building tables, chairs and other items using
bamboo and guadua (a local wood).



Since then Raúl has made it his quest to try and help the
internally displaced who knock on his door asking for work and an
opportunity to rebuild their lives. “I can’t give up on
this business, I need the work and my employees depend on
me.”



Raúl says he recently received one of the best news of his
entire life: his products will be exported to Europe.



IOM’s Social Marketing Strategy helped Raúl negotiate
the sale and export of 49 of his products to the Dutch furniture
and accessories store Hedi Meubelen.



IOM started the Social Marketing Strategy to provide a more
sustainable economic environment for the income generating projects
implemented by IOM in Colombia. The groups benefiting from the
Strategy include the internally displaced, victims of trafficking,
and ex combatant minors. These projects receive funding from USAID,
the Italian Cooperation Agency, and the embassies of Canada and
Holland.



The main goal of the IOM Strategy is to improve the quality of life
of the internally displaced. So far more than 1,500 individuals are
participating in the program.



The beneficiaries hail from different regions and include
manufacturers of furniture, clothing, paper goods, home
décor and handicrafts, amongst others.



Business training provided by IOM has allowed the beneficiaries to
adapt their products for the international market, learn budget and
pricing and export regulations. The trainings have given
Raúl and other displaced Colombians the confidence and tools
to conduct business with international clients.



The owners of Creaciones Miquelina used the skills learnt
at the IOM trainings to negotiate their own contract; they export
some USD 2.5 million in winter coats to Great Britain every year.




ANEI produces and sells some 1,000 tons of organic coffee
yearly, which is exported mainly to Europe and Japan.



The furniture exported by RAFERLO to Holland represents 12
per cent of their annual sales. “Exporting is the greatest
achievement. It means that I have accomplished what I set out to
do, working side by side with my people. It is thanks to their
drive and hard work that today we celebrate this
achievement,” explains Raúl.



To learn more about IOM’s Social Marketing Strategy and to
see the products is supports, please visit "paragraph-link-no-underline" href="http://www.oim.org.co/mercadeo"
target="_blank" title="">http://www.oim.org.co/mercadeo.