Henry was recruited by an illegal armed group when he was a just a boy. Today, he is a chef at a well known restaurant in Bogotá and is looking forward to a successful life.

"In the past I never studied. I had no stability in my life, I had nothing. I did not know what life had in store for me, all I could expect was finding any old job.  But now, I have a career and I know what I want I want out of life," explains Henry Castro*, a young man of 24, who belonged to an illegal armed group from the age of 13 to 18.

Henry does not speak much about the part of his life when he wielded a gun and, although not denying this episode in his life, he now considers it as part of his former life. He is enjoying life to the full, and his only concern is about living happily together with his family.

A year after demobilizing from the armed group, Henry heard that the Fundación Escuela Taller de Bogotá (FETB by its Spanish acronym) was offering training in traditional trades such as carpentry, cooking, handicraft, tourism and construction to young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 living in vulnerable situations.

Wanting to leave behind his life of grief, instability and insecurity, Henry turned to the FETB programme, which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through IOM which provides equipment and support for the implementation of the workshops. The aim of the FETB is to ensure training for 90 demobilized young persons, or for those at risk of being recruited. That is where Henry found the chance to study and to find a career that he enjoys; since he was a small boy his parents taught him to cook.

During his two years of training in food preparation, Henry studied during the day and worked at night at an exclusive restaurant in Bogota. In 2007 he graduated as part of the first cooking workshop and continued working in the restaurant, where today he is the Head Chef.

Now Henry is a recognized chef in the city and he has been featured twice on the "El Reto Gourmet", part of the TV programme Día a Día broadcast by Caracol Television.

Henry says, "After working so hard, life is now bearing fruit."  And it's no wonder, as he is now a famous chef and a teacher at the FETB, where, twice a week he teaches a class titled "Food of the World".  Inspired by his new philosophy of life of giving his best to others, he relishes this new challenge of sharing with other young people what he knows and loves to do.

Emotionally, this wonderful chef, whose speciality is Spanish and Mediterranean dishes, receives unconditional support from his wife. They have a seven-month-old baby, and his greatest inspiration is working every day for his family.

"My life has changed so much. I am now providing stability to my family, I feel calm, I am doing what I love, and I am seeing the results of my hard work," says Henry.

This professional now has a promising life that allows him to continue studying and to gain international recognition.

*His name has been changed to protect his identity and his process of reintegration.