Florelis Fled Venezuela. In Colombia, She Found a Way to Flourish.

Florelis is a builder.

She is not a mason or a bricklayer like her husband. She is not a carpenter. But over the last few years, she has helped build something lasting: a new home, a growing business, and a stronger future for her family in Cartagena, Colombia.

Ask her neighbors, and they might say Florelis has built something for the whole community. Ask Florelis, and she would likely say the greatest thing she has built is opportunity for herself, her children, and the life she once hoped would be possible.

That builder’s mentality is exactly what Opportunity International seeks to foster through its Ultra-Poor Graduation program. For Florelis and the 500 participants in the program in Cartagena, we see the strength, resilience, and expertise that already exists within women working hard to move their families forward. But we also know that resilience alone is not enough. Opportunity matters—and on World Refugee Day, Florelis’ story is a reminder of what that opportunity can make possible. For Florelis, the road to that opportunity was not easy.

Nine years ago, she made the difficult decision to leave Venezuela in search of greater economic stability in Colombia. It was the hardest decision she had ever made, leaving her mother and family behind to begin again in a new country.

When she arrived in Colombia, Florelis started from scratch. With no documentation and no starting capital, formal work was out of reach. Like many migrant women, she did what she could to get by, selling small items, doing housework, and looking for any opportunity to support her family.

“I am Venezuelan and in Colombia, and there is much to that,” she said. “Sometimes I have felt that we are not taken into consideration as migrants. It is very difficult to do anything here, but Opportunity thinks of us and sees us.”

A few years into her life in Colombia, Florelis was connected to one of Opportunity International’s savings groups. There, she met women who were just as hardworking and determined as she was, women seeking a chance to build something better for their families.

Florelis is naturally sociable and loves connecting with her neighbors and friends. The savings group gave her a place to build relationships, practice new financial skills, and begin imagining what more might be possible.

Then came the turning point: her selection into Opportunity’s 18-month Ultra-Poor Graduation program.

Through the program, Florelis received training in business and financial literacy, coaching from Opportunity staff, access to critical services, and seed funding to help launch a business. For her, it felt like the next step toward the stability she had been working so hard to achieve.

I already felt supported from the beginning through the savings group, and this program felt like a real opportunity to be able to improve many things for my family and home.”

The first weeks were not easy. Florelis remembers feeling uncertain and overwhelmed. But with every training and workshop, she began to build new skills and new confidence.

“I remember that in the first training, I had so many feelings and doubts,” she said. “But today I have the conviction of a business owner. If I put my mind to it, I will achieve it.”

One of the most important moments came during her training in tailoring. Florelis discovered that her skill with a needle and thread could become more than a talent. It could become a business with seed funding from the program.

Now, 18 months later, Florelis has graduated from the program. Her business is generating income, helping send her children to school in uniforms she made herself.

Together with the income her husband earns as a bricklayer, Florelis has helped build the home they had always dreamed of: a sturdy house made of brick and stone, with a workshop on the side where she can continue growing her business.

In my workshop, it feels as though I’m sewing our way to another place. A brighter future. And that makes me so very happy.” 

With her husband’s expertise in the trades and Florelis’ growing business skills, the family has also started a small hardware shop. Her eldest daughter has followed her example, offering beauty services to Florelis’ customers. “This program is a blessing,” she said. “I’m so thankful for the financial help and everything that you have taught me so far in the program. I have learned so much, and feel I have so much more to learn.”

Stories like Florelis' are why World Refugee Day matters—not just as a moment of recognition, but as a call to action. Refugees and migrants carry remarkable capacity. When given access to training, community, and capital, they don’t just survive. They build.

For Florelis, a savings group was the beginning. Today, graduation is not the end of the story. It is the foundation for everything she is still building.