In January of 1985 Marcos Monsalve was just 12 years old and fresh out of elementary school when he was recruited by an illegal guerrilla group in the southern department of Caqueta.

Until his forced recruitment, Marcos had lived the life of a regular peasant child.  After school he helped his parents in the family business: the production of brown sugarloaf and "guarapo" (a local alcoholic drink made from sugar cane).

Being in the guerrilla, Marcos had no choice but to learn the tasks of a patrol man.  He was put in charge of 300 men who were guarding 57 rural settlements.

During his time in the guerrilla, Marcos fell I love with a woman he met in one of the settlements he guarded and they got married.

Marcos was 21 years old when decided to escape the guerrilla.  When he heard that his wife and three children had been told that he was killed in combat; he imagined their sadness and pictured his own death, and decided it was time to quit:  "Not only did I get my family back, but my freedom and my life", explains the ex-combatant.

"I never had the chance to go to school to learn any skills," says Marcos as he sews some pieces of synthetic leather at the Footwear School/Workshop in Bogota.  "Now I'm finishing seventh grade and I have discovered that I'm good with the sewing machine," he adds with a smile.

Marcos is one of the beneficiaries of the Footwear School/Workshop that was established with technical support from IOM and funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). 

The aim of the programme is to offer training and employment opportunities to the men and women who are going through the reintegration process.

"We are making some special shoes today.  These 100 pairs will be donated to members of the police and military injured in combat," Marcos explains and he continues sewing.

Like Marcos, 49 other demobilized persons have finished their training as shoemakers and are hard at work making shoes.

Since 2006 IOM and USAID have supported the Reintegration Programme of the Colombian Government led by the Presidential High Council for Reintegration.  The Footwear School/Workshop in Bogota, which also provides training and employment to the local community, is a pilot project that is being implemented with support from the Mayor's office and the Chamber of Commerce.

For Marcos, being part of this project gave him the opportunity to learn a new skill and to build relationships and work in the private sector. 

So far, the Footwear School/Workshop has trained 77 persons including demobilized people and their families, displaced persons, women heads of household and the local community.  So far, 23 graduates have been hired by the companies where they performed their internships.

"With these shoes we are not only showing the country our willingness to change our lives and the history of Colombia, but that we are able to be productive and part of the private sector," states Marcos with a proud grin.

But reintegrating into civilian life hasn't being easy for Marcos.  He has been the target of two attempts against his life perpetrated by his former guerrilla group.  But this will not deter him, because he believes he is building a new life for himself and his family and for the country. "All I want is to have a good job and to be able to give my children a good education."

According to Colombia's High Commissioner for Reintegration 51,000 persons have demobilized from illegal armed groups; 35,000 of them as a result of negotiations between the Colombian Government and the self-defense armed groups between 2003 and 2006, and the remaining 16,000 have deserted individually from guerilla and other illegal armed groups. The demobilization, disarmament and reintegration (DDR) process includes psychosocial support, income generation projects and occupational training to ensure that the ex-combatants will not return to illegal activities.

In 2006, IOM began implementing its Community-Oriented Reintegration Assistance Programme with funding from USAID. The programme supports the Government's Peace Process by helping demobilized persons and their families to reintegrate into civilian life, and victims gain access to truth, justice and compensation.