Within the framework of the International Day of Street Children, the National Army, through the Colombia Estéreo 102.3 FM station in Valledupar and the Faith in Colombia program of the Comprehensive Action and Development Support Battalion No. 1, opened the microphones for him. Anderson Manzanilla, an 18-year-old young man who spent five years wandering the streets of the capital of Cesar after emigrating from his native Venezuela.
In the radio program, the young man narrated in detail the difficult moments he experienced due to his addiction to drugs, the loss of contact with his family and his rehabilitation process through the Faith and Hope Foundation and the support of the subintendent of the National Police Jhosue Durán Castilla, who was the person who rescued him.
“I arrived in Valledupar when I was 13 years old, I took care of my nieces while my sister works and the lack of occupation encouraged me to consume and little by little I ran out. In the blink of an eye I was already on the streets of Valledupar. One day Jhosue approached me and took me to the foundation to shower and put on clean clothes, but they convinced me to stay and I stayed there for four months,” Anderson Manzanilla said.
At the same time, he received training from Deputy First Sergeant Harold Cuéllar, director of the Colombia Estéreo radio station in Valledupar, who explained to him how it works, the programming grid and the technological equipment, among other knowledge of radio and locution.
His desire is to finish his high school studies to enter the university and “be someone in life”, as he himself stated. He currently works as a waiter in the ‘Arepas con amor’ enterprise, in the foster home where he lives, motivating young people living on the street every day to rehabilitate themselves.
“Thanks to the Colombia Estéreo radio station for opening its doors to me, for teaching me how it works and for motivating me to be someone useful to society,” Manzanilla expressed with emotion.
