Our Partners

‘I like the work they do, they capture the crisis in Venezuela through the handwritten stories of those most affected by this crisis — those walking across the border and out of the country hoping for a better life. I have used these stories in my own classroom, this to help my students to understand the larger world around them and the good fortune they have to live in a stable democratic society. This would be a better world if we all were to listen with compassion and love.’

Mrs. Rincon is a school teacher in Beaverton, Oregon and has been working with her students to understand the Venezuelan crises in Latin America.

Jozef Merkz — Resident Representative United Nations High Commission for Refugees, Colombia August 2020

In the current context of COVID 19, with so many refugees and migrants without livelihoods and some desperate to return, it is more important than ever to give a voice to persons on the move. The personal stories collected by TodoSomos will have an important impact on the humanitarian response that is required, promoting inclusion and support for the most vulnerable. Organizations such as the UN Refugee Agency will continue to support TodoSomos to make sure people on the move will be at the center of our humanitarian and protection work. Through the stories we hope to create a better understanding of the so-called ´caminantes´. We call on the solidarity of the larger public to listen to refugees and migrants and to reach out to them with respect and tolerance. In this context we much appreciate the ´story telling´ initiative of TodoSomos.

Jozef Merkz – Representante Residente Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Refugiados, Colombia. Agosto 2020

En el contexto actual de COVID 19, con tantos refugiados y migrantes sin medios de vida y algunos desesperados por regresar, es más importante que nunca dar voz a las personas en movimiento. Las historias personales recopiladas por TodoSomos tendrán un impacto importante en la respuesta humanitaria que se requiere, promoviendo la inclusión y el apoyo a los más vulnerables. Organizaciones como la Agencia de la ONU para los Refugiados continuarán apoyando a TodoSomos para asegurarse de que las personas en movimiento estén en el centro de nuestro trabajo humanitario y de protección. A través de las historias esperamos crear una mejor comprensión de los llamados ‘caminantes’. Hacemos un llamado a la solidaridad del público en general para que escuche a los refugiados y migrantes y se acerque a ellos con respeto y tolerancia. En este contexto, agradecemos mucho la iniciativa de “contar historias” de TodoSomos.

Eric Huxley – Country Director, Samaritan’s Purse, Colombia July 2020

The brilliance of TodoSomos is in the way they are able to humanize an unprecedented refugee crisis while also offering a tangible way for their audience to interact with the material on an emotional as well as intellectual level. Having led humanitarian projects for the past several years along the Venezuela-Colombia border, it has been impossible for me to transmit the thousands of personal interactions I’ve had with Venezuelan refugees as they seek a new life in another country. While there have been noble attempts by the press to convey the human-side of the humanitarian crisis Venezuelan refugees are facing, they can often fall back on tired tropes or, worse yet, feed into a larger political narrative. TodoSomos has found a simple, yet very innovative way to let the people confronting the crisis tell their own story in their own words. What we read through these testimonies does not always fit the broader narrative we’ve come to believe, but it is real and it lends dignity and agency to the storyteller. My nine-year-old daughter and I had the privilege of participating in a public reading of stories and were forever impacted by the experience. By offering an opportunity to share stories through theatre and public readings, TodoSomos was able to take us from passive consumers of the material to active participants with the storytellers.

Eric Huxley – Director país de Samaritan’s Purse, Colombia. Julio 2020

La brillantez de TodoSomos está en la forma en que son capaces de humanizar una crisis de refugiados sin precedentes y al mismo tiempo ofrecer una forma tangible para que su audiencia interactúe con el material tanto a nivel emocional como intelectual. Habiendo liderado proyectos humanitarios durante los últimos años a lo largo de la frontera entre Venezuela y Colombia, me ha sido imposible transmitir las miles de interacciones personales que he tenido con refugiados venezolanos que buscan una nueva vida en otro país. Si bien ha habido nobles intentos de la prensa por transmitir el lado humano de la crisis humanitaria que enfrentan los refugiados venezolanos, a menudo pueden recurrir a tropos cansados o, peor aún, alimentar una narrativa política más amplia. TodoSomos ha encontrado una manera simple, pero muy innovadora, de permitir que las personas que enfrentan la crisis cuenten su propia historia con sus propias palabras. Lo que leemos a través de estos testimonios no siempre se ajusta a la narrativa más amplia que hemos llegado a creer, pero es real y le otorga dignidad y agencia al narrador. Mi hija de nueve años y yo tuvimos el privilegio de participar en una lectura pública de historias y la experiencia nos impactó para siempre. Al ofrecer la oportunidad de compartir historias a través del teatro y lecturas públicas, TodoSomos pudo llevarnos de consumidores pasivos del material a participantes activos con los narradores.

Steve Hide — Head of Mission Médecins sans Frontières, Colombia July 2020

“TodoSomos gives voice to the ongoing tragedy of Venezuelan migrant families trudging the roads of Colombia searching for peace and security. This is one of the world’s largest untold humanitarian crises, affecting tens of thousands of the most vulnerable people, made now worse by the covid-19 outbreak and economic decline of both their host and home country. I have seen first-hand the impact of this disaster – both in Venezuela and Colombia – and the heartbreaking scenes of families struggling on foot to cross the cold mountain barriers that separate them from their homes. The testimonies that TodoSomos collects are vital both to directing the ongoing response, but also as a valuable historical record of incidents unfolding across Colombia and the border”

Steve Hide – Jefe de Misión Médicos Sin Fronteras, Colombia. Julio 2020

“TodoSomos da voz a la actual tragedia de las familias migrantes venezolanas que recorren las carreteras de Colombia en busca de paz y seguridad. Esta es una de las crisis humanitarias no contadas más grandes del mundo, que afecta a decenas de miles de las personas más vulnerables, empeorada ahora por el brote de covid-19 y el declive económico tanto del país de origen como del anfitrión. He visto de primera mano el impacto de este desastre, tanto en Venezuela como en Colombia, y las escenas desgarradoras de familias que luchan a pie para cruzar las frías barreras de las montañas que las separan de sus hogares. Los testimonios que recopila TodoSomos son vitales tanto para dirigir la respuesta en curso, como también como un valioso registro histórico de los incidentes que se desarrollan en Colombia y la frontera ”.

Jason Rovig — Executive Director Art for Impact August 2020

Working with the Venezuelan community in Colombia for several years now and seeing the sheer scale migration, its good to know that there is an organization like TodoSomos collecting their stories. Everyone has a story that deserves to be told, and even though there are common elements each is unique to their individual experience. Every backpack and suitcase carried over the mountain passages is either a livelihood or a life packed up in search of hope. Storytelling is a necessity for human understanding so it is important that these stories are gathered and retold and our organization, Art For Impact, supports TodoSomos in this goal.