Twenty-eight different products for the home from IOM's Lo Nuestro
collection have been enjoying great success in the six Home Sentry
department stores located in Colombia's capital, Bogota.

Home Sentry stores are offering their customers 28 products for
the home manufactured by internally displaced Colombians. 
Some of the biggest sellers have been cushions, placemats, table
runners, baskets, coasters, and candle holders.

"The products are made with local materials and combine the most
original designs with the best of Colombian handicraft.  The
products are an excellent alternative for the socially responsible
buyer," explains José Angel Oropeza, IOM Chief of Mission in
Colombia.

More than 100 displaced persons, young adults vulnerable to
recruitment into illegal armed groups, and others that have
demobilized and are in the process of reintegrating into civilian
life, are participating in the development of the collection.

With orders exceeding USD 7,000, Home Sentry, the main
department store in Bogota, is one of the first private sector
clients to acquire the collection. 

"The products have been very popular," says Patricia Maya, Home
Sentry Purchasing Director. "For us it has been a very satisfying
experience to support this initiative."

Bernardo Triana, a small business owner from Tolima, who arrived
in Bogota in 2000 after being displaced because of the violence
says, "The agreement that IOM brokered with Home Sentry has been a
great opportunity and a great help to us."  Triana is the
founder and manager of Ardes, which is providing full time
employment for seven internally displaced persons.  "We have
received two orders almost simultaneously and we are very happy
because the public seems to like our products.  All of us are
making a big effort to ensure our products are top quality," Triana
adds proudly.

Lo Nuestro is part of IOM's Social Marketing Strategy, funded by
the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID).  IOM's Private Sector Unit in Bogota has been working
since 2006 to bring stability to vulnerable communities in Colombia
by creating alliances with the private sector to open market
opportunities for products made by this population.  More than
1,000 persons have received support from IOM, not only to place
their products in the markets, but also with training in design,
product development, and pricing.  Many of the products
produced by IOM beneficiaries have been exported to Canada,
Holland, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  Since 2006, the
Unit has achieved sales in excess of USD 200,000.