After two years of hard work, 300 Colombians, including persons
demobilized from illegal armed groups and members of the local
communities, have sold the first ten tonnes of chili peppers grown
by them on the "Hacienda Nápoles", a farm formerly owned by
the notorious Colombian drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar.

"To tell you the truth, when I joined the chili pepper project,
it didn't look viable to me, and I didn't think it had a future,"
confesses Robeiro, who demobilized from the paramilitaries
Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia or AUC after eight years.

"I joined the project, more than anything, to comply with the
government requirements (as part of the reintegration process,
demobilized individuals must join a productive project or find
other employment opportunities), but now I am very happy to be the
leader of a group of us," adds Robeiro with a smile.  He is
president of the Association of Demobilized Persons, collective
owners of a part of the chili pepper plantation.

The chili pepper project, located in the municipality of Puerto
Triunfo some 350 kilometers north of Bogota, is part of IOM's
Reintegration and Community Development Programme, financed through
a public-private sector alliance between the Colombian cement
company Cementos Argos and carried out in coordination with the
Presidential High Counsel for Reintegration.

Robeiro remembers that after being demobilized it was impossible
to find work on the farms which he approached:  "The first
question was: Have you been demobilized? Yes. Oh dear, I am sorry,
there is no work for you. You don't know how to work the land,"
recounts Robeiro.  "The same thing happened everywhere I
went."

This was the same situation for many former combatants in the
country.

Robeiro says that his participation this project has changed his
life. Before joining the chili pepper project, he had worked in
several places with no success.  He soon realized that this
project was different and it was offering him a real future because
of the development angle and the links with the private sector and
international organizations.  And then when the first crop was
harvested, Robeiro realized that he had found a way of making a
living for him and his friends.

The income generation project is benefiting 60 families of
demobilized and vulnerable population.  The project also
includes support to improve the quality of education, good
agricultural practices, participation in activities aimed at social
reintegration and peaceful coexistence, and business management
training.

The participants earned an average of USD 275 per month during
the first year, and approximately USD 325 per month from the second
year on.  The families are also receiving technical training
to develop methods to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the
project once IOM assistance is finished.

The ten tonnes were harvested from a section of 2.5
hectares.  The project covers a total of 27 hectares of land,
of which 9.5 have already been planted.

The participating families expect to produce 145 tonnes of chili
peppers from the 27 hectares of land allocated to the
project.  The peppers are sold to the multinational company
Comexa, which markets its chili sauce in the United States, the
United Arab Emirates and other countries, under its trademark name
Amazon.

Robeiro says he is committed to his new life, which has enabled
him to be an example for others.  "The people that I used to
know have invited me to join armed groups, but I have turned them
down.  I have already begun my new life and I want to continue
on this path," says Robeiro.

From November 2003 to August 2006, more than 32,000 members of
the illegal self-defense groups were demobilized as a result of a
peace process with the Colombian Government. Currently the number
of demobilized individuals rises to more than 48,000.  Some
18,000 ex-combatants have demobilized individually and voluntarily
since 2002 from other armed groups. IOM provides its support to the
government of Colombia for the reintegration process of these men
and women.