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In March 2017, Venezuelan journalist Gina Caldera arrived in the Dominican Republic to meet her husband, who had been on the Caribbean island for a few years. Tired of the unstable situation in Venezuela, they decided to look for opportunities and stability in a land different from their own, emigrating first.
Once on Dominican soil, Gina worked on various jobs while she adjusted to her new life; her husband’s support was essential for her since he stood by her side 24/7. Something that surprised her was the Dominicans’ kindness to her and other fellow Venezuelans, as some of her friends whom had migrated to other countries told her there was resistance and even xenophobia towards Venezuelans in the places they were staying at. She highlights that Dominicans are friendly, cooperative, always willing to help, lending a helping hand when needed; that is, in her words, something invaluable.
Initially, Gina worked as an assistant in a real estate agency, later she was a community manager and then returned to being a real estate assistant, while at the same time she taught occasional communication and public speaking classes, which helped her cover daily expenses. She also did a radio program for three months with her husband, also a journalist, in which they made visible the reality faced by migrants in the Dominican Republic. The program was so well received that a proposal to upgrade it to a digital platform came soon. Gina and her husband decided to make their dream real and created a digital platform, which they named Globalízate Radio, in which they also involved Venezuelan journalists residing in the Dominican Republic. It was then that they learned about the Inclusive Cities program, and received training on entrepreneurship and business legalization in Dominican territory.
Gina says that “Inclusive Cities was key in our process, they supported us and without a doubt this would have been much more difficult without their collaboration.”
The beginning was difficult, but over time the platform received recognition and positioned itself as a serious and responsible media that served as a communication channel between and for the Venezuelan migrant population and the host community. Today, Globalízate Radio is a self-sustaining enterprise, a communication platform for development with a focus on the defense and promotion of human rights, especially those that address human mobility and migration, which makes a concrete contribution to Venezuelan migration. It also provides employment for both migrants and members of the host community, and contributes to make Santo Domingo a more inclusive and supportive City.
