A few months ago, we revealed the podcast series of 10 episodes “Voces en el Camino” (Voices on the Road), all in Spanish, which bears witness to personal and collective journeys marked by the common experience of migration. With the guidance of the Community of Practice on Migration in Latin America, the project took shape 2 years ago during a communication workshop organized by GSIF and relied on a simple idea: to create a space where the voices of people in migration could be heard. Sisters, lay partners, community workers work alongside people on the move and accompany, support and listen to them with care and compassion. They come across stories of uncertainty and loss, but also of resilience, solidarity, and hope. The aim of this series is to share and explore the lived experiences and realities – too often overlooked or ignored – of people who migrate and of those who support them. And what better way than telling these stories through a podcast series?
To bring this project to life, the “Vos con voz” (Voices with You) training, organized by the Community of Practice on Migration, brought together sisters and lay partners to equip them with the knowledge and skills to create podcasts, exploring the power of storytelling, understanding narrative structures, and learning how to use audio tools.
From Venezuela to Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Colombia, this podcast series takes us through different realities across Latin America, with migration as the common thread running through the episodes. You will hear, for example, the story of Patricia Rodriguez, 25, from Venezuela. Currently staying at the Hogar Misericordia in Costa Rica, she embarked on a long and perilous journey after fleeing Venezuela. Rocked by insecurity, food shortages and a prolonged economic crisis, her native country could no longer offer her, her siblings and her children the stability and security they needed. That’s why they decided to leave in search of a better future. During their migratory journey, they were subjected to many risks such as kidnapping, robbery, and violence and narrowly escaped sexual abuse. Crossing the Darién Jungle – a remote, roadless and dangerous stretch of land that links Colombia and Panama – was one of the hardest and most dangerous obstacles they had to face on their migration route. The jungle was full of man-made and natural threats. Patricia and her family were the witnesses of tragic deaths caused by falls, drowning or sheer exhaustion. After several grueling days, they finally reached Paso Canoas, where they heard for the first time about the Good Shepherd Hogar Misericordia, in San José, Costa Rica. There, they found safety and above all, were listened to and supported by the Good Shepherd Sisters.
Forced migration is a deep wound that any person can suffer. It is a double violation of rights: first, for the reasons that force people to leave—often marked by violence, poverty, lack of opportunities, or despair—and then, on the journey itself, where instead of finding support, people face policies and systems that exclude them and deny them the dignity that every human being deserves – Patricia
Sister Mirabel Alvarez Navarro is another voice that you will hear in this podcast series. As a coordinator of the Mission Development Office for Central America, she shares her personal story – an experience deeply marked by her contact with people in situations of migration. Her moving testimony focuses on her journey from Costa Rica to Panama, and then to Honduras, where she sought to better understand and witness firsthand the reality and challenges faced by people on the journey of migration. Amidst a large crowd of people from all walks of life and backgrounds, she meets Haitian and Venezuelan migrants, who speak of children suffering from malnutrition and contamination, of the unbearable losses endured by families and of the lives abandoned along the way.
All these testimonies – from people on the move, from sisters and lay partners – bear witness to the immense human cost behind the uncertain journey of migration and remind us that behind every person forced to migrate lies a story of hope, of loss, and of an unyielding search for a dignified life.
Click here to access the podcast series (in Spanish only): https://open.spotify.com/episode/1KqMaJEq1RKjgtveF8h1ur?si=DHeFbXYOSnWO_WAT8Mxc1g
