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Mayerlin Gómez is a Venezuelan woman. Born in Valencia, she arrived to Barranquilla back in 2017 and settled in the Villa del Mar neighborhood. Mayerlin used to be a merchant in her native town but the situation in the country forced her to leave; she was tired of not being able to get food and medicines for her parents. Once her decision was made, she traveled eight hours by bus from Valencia to Maracaibo and from there she crossed the border and arrived in Maicao. Gomez says that the journey was not easy, since the local inhabitants were aggressive and due to that, she decided to find another place in Colombia to settle. Fortunately she was not alone, her partner accompanied her on this uncertain journey and once in Colombia he managed to contact a friend of his who was in Barranquilla and told him to go there. After a journey of more than twelve hours by car, the couple finally reached Barranquilla.
Although Carlos’ friend gave them lodging for a few days, they needed to generate resources to cover their daily expenses, so they began to sell some merchandise that they had brought from Venezuela, while at the same time they also bought and sold soft drinks and cheeses.
That food trade allowed them to get some cash but it was not enough so “Maye”, as friends call her, decided to set up an itinerant restaurant; she prepared lunches and delivered them to the workers in the different constructions they worked in at the neighborhood. Thus, due to her hard work she managed to rent an apartment and was also able to bring her sister, son and parents with her.
Then “Maye” became a community leader and helped organizations like Action Against Hunger. As a result of this interaction, she learned about the Inclusive Cities project and became a volunteer. She says she has learnt a lot from the proyect and therefore she has grown as a person. She has learnt work with children and single mothers; she has also learnt to plant and has acquired knowledge in leadership, gaining self-confidence. She states that thanks to Inclusive Cities the community has understood that things can actually be done. “Maye” has earned the trust of the community and she wants her neighborhood to grow.
Although Barranquilla has given her the opportunity to start a new life, the home-town blues has touched “Maye” and she dreams of returning to her country one day.
