From Aura Cuervo Gómez:

On the night of April 22 at 8:05 pm, four armed men broke into my parent's place in the rural area of Acacias, Meta, Colombia, while my dad, grandma, our four family pets and myself were there. They intimidated us with their guns, locked us down, and tied us from 12 am to ~2:30 am. That place had already been robbed twice before but the owners never said anything about it, so my family couldn't take safety measures beforehand. When the intruders eventually understood my family isn’t rich, my dad has needed to work since he's 12 years old, and we didn’t have the cash they were expecting, they began to ransack the house. At least two separate groups came through and stole almost everything: from phones, computers, and my dad's car; to cat litter, laundry detergent, toothpaste and underwear. I have moved in with my sister in Bogotá, and my family moved to another rental in a city. However, we are left without many basic necessities that we can’t afford to replace, such as phones, computers, shoes. We also need support to help pay for services like transportation, and utilities, and student loans.

I lived in Rochester, NY for ~4 years until January, 2023 when I left to start over in Colombia after an incredibly challenging situation. The support network I built in the US over those years was key as I faced those challenges and has continued to be as I encounter new ones, so I will be forever grateful!

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From the Team:

Matt Loman is Aura's partner

Sophie Loman is Matt's sibling