A story of walking, survival, and hope

Around the world, there are countries where daily life has become uncertain. Political instability, economic collapse, and lack of basic resources force people into impossible choices. For many, staying means hunger, danger, or no future at all.

This is the reality for millions of people from Venezuela.

Not long ago, Venezuela was one of the wealthiest countries in South America. Today, years of political and economic crisis have left much of the population in poverty, with shortages of food, medicine, and basic services. Families who once lived stable lives are now struggling simply to survive.

When there are no options left, people see no other choice but to leave their beloved home country.

Since 2014, almost 8 million Venezuelans have fled their country, making it one of the largest displacement crises in the world. Of all these people, around 3 million - the largest number worldwide - now reside in Colombia, in search of protection and hoping for a better life and future.

Many of the poorest cannot afford transport. Carrying everything they own, they often cross borders on foot, in many cases for days or weeks. They walk through heat, rain, and freezing mountain temperatures. Many travel with children. Some walk while sick, hungry, or exhausted. Still, they keep going - because going back is not an option.

Along one of these routes lies Pamplona, a small city in Colombia, high in the mountains. Here, the nights are cold, and the air is thin. Here, these people are rather called caminantes - “the walkers.” For caminantes arriving after long days of walking, warmth becomes more than comfort - it becomes survival.

On The Ground International (OTGI) provides a place to rest and receive support.

In Pamplona, near the border bottleneck, OTGI is currently one of the only sources of frontline support for caminantes entering Colombia. The organization runs shelters where forcibly displaced people can rest for a night, receive a warm meal, take a shower, and regain strength before continuing. Volunteers cook, clean, and provide care - creating a place where people are treated with dignity after days of hardship.

But one of the biggest challenges in Pamplona is the cold. Many caminantes arrive wearing thin clothes, completely unprepared for the mountain climate and the pouring rain. This journey only becomes more difficult as on the way to Bucaramanga, temperatures continue to drop, close to freezing, especially at night. Without warm clothing, the journey becomes not only difficult but dangerous.

That is why we are raising funds.

With your support, we want to provide warm clothes - jackets, sweaters, socks - simple things that can make the difference between continuing safely or not continuing at all.

A warm jacket cannot solve the crisis.

But for someone walking hundreds of kilometres, it can mean protection, dignity, and hope.

Because behind every “caminante” is a person — a mother, a father, a child — simply trying to find a safer place to live.

And sometimes, the smallest help can carry them a little further.