“Migration: a word that runs through my life,” Wenddy says. “I am from Caracas, Venezuela, and in 2017 I migrated to Ecuador. I never imagined that this process would enable me to get to know myself in depth and recognize the hidden potential I have.
“Plan International came into my life and got me out of the depression I was going through. The organization was working on some projects in my community and I joined some of their programs. I was happy because many people had discriminated against us for being from a misunderstood country.”
“[With] Plan International, I met people who accepted me for who I am,” Wenddy says. “I managed to make my first group of friends in the country. I took part in my first journalistic project as part of a network of community reporters, where I learned how to record and edit videos to generate content, speak in front of the cameras, and speak on the radio. I discovered that I have the ability to speak in front of people and to convey [what I want to say] in an assertive way.
“One day, I was invited to a radio station in Portoviejo to speak about what we young people from rural areas were doing, and the journalist who interviewed me was quite fascinated because I performed so well — to the point that he offered me a part-time job at the radio station. After thinking about it, I accepted.
“At the beginning of 2022, I joined a new project developed by Plan International on education in emergencies. Our work consists of learning about the circumstances of children in Ecuador with respect to unsafe educational environments and proposing solutions to these problems. The project is supported by 22 delegates in the provinces where Plan International works.
“At the end of July, I traveled to Paris to participate in a youth event on education in emergencies organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. At a personal level, it was a huge challenge because, for the first time in my life, I had to speak in English to demonstrate my potential. At a professional level, it was a source of immense pride, because I am preparing to become a teacher. Being able to go to an organization like UNESCO to speak about the things I am most passionate about is a source of pride that I can’t get enough of.”
“Although I still miss my country, I know that migrating to Ecuador was the best thing I could have done,” Wenddy says. “I am no longer Wenddy, the shy girl who was ashamed to even ask how much a pair of shoes cost; now I am an empowered woman who is in tune with her community and works for the rights of children and adolescents in rural areas, because being in a rural area should not be synonymous of inequality and abandonment.
