Sonia Jojoa is a young psychologist who, for the past six years,
has worked in the Department of Putumayo, an isolated department in
the Colombian Amazon, on the border with Ecuador and Peru. 
The region has seen its share of violence and crimes perpetrated by
illegal armed groups.

She arrived in the area to work on education projects focused on
women and children.  She has been with IOM for one year and
one month as a Field Monitor.

For Sonia, Putumayo is a diverse region that she considers
"under construction".  In the past few decades the region has
seen its share of migration from other parts of Colombia –
mainly people looking for job opportunities linked to the rubber,
timber and oil bonanzas, and in the past few years, the coca
fields.

Sonia believes that the biggest challenge for humanitarian
workers in this region is supporting the community as they form and
consolidate the identity of Putumayo.  No easy task in a
culturally diverse society fragmented by years of violence.

Sonia shares her experience.

What is so special about Putumayo?

"This is a region Barkly discovered, where one can witness the
great cultural diversity that makes up Colombia.  There are
people from many parts of the country living side by side, each
contributing with their way of talking, acting and feeling. 
It's a very dynamic society that is trying to consolidate its
identity and grow.

"Also, as the place was so deeply impacted by violence and by
the boom years, it's easy to come face to face with the harsh
realities of everyday life for its residents.  When one comes
to live and work in this region, one must learn to experience the
daily realities along with the local population."

What is your day-to-day work as a field
monitor?

"I have been working with IOM for a few months now but as a
Field Monitor, one month.  But in that short time I have come
to realize that it is a very dynamic job.  Every day we come
into direct contact with the community, our partners and the local
government.  It is very much a team effort, so we all work
together and try to stay in constant contact with the
community."

What moments come to mind as the most
difficult?

"It is difficult for me when we visit areas that we know are
heavily mined, and where at one time there was a lot of violence,
although now it is quieter.  Once, I spent the night in a
small village and all night we heard the bombs going off.

"We know that sometimes we may take risks, but we learn to
manage these situations calmly because we must continue our work
with the people who have such great needs."

What moments come to mind as the most
gratifying?

"There are many gratifying moments in this type of job. 
When we identify a need, a problem, and we know that we can help,
that is when we realize that it was all worth it.

"I remember an instance when a family came to us in search of
protection; they told us they had been threatened.  IOM and
its government and other partners provided the assistance they
needed, and all the while reassuring them that all would be OK in
the end.

"It is also gratifying when we arrive in a remote village, where
not many outsiders go, and we are able to carry out projects; some
of them focused on women-headed households.  These are women
that have survived all the odds and so our projects are offering
them the possibility of a better future for their families."

What is the most important thing in your
opinion that the world should know about the work you and your
colleagues are carrying out?

"It is important that all in IOM and the rest of the world know
that what we are doing in Putumayo is very dynamic and it is
focused on repairing the social fabric of the communities; it is a
construction process.

"There are many people in Putumayo who come and go, but we want
our work to reassure the residents that this is their region; we
want them to take ownership of the region."

For more information on IOM's activities in Colombia, visit
class="paragraph-link-no-underline-bold" href=
"http://www.oim.org.co/" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.oim.org.co/