A Miracle for Milagros

After fleeing Venezuela, Milagros arrived in Colombia determined to rebuild her life for her children. But without a high school diploma, steady work was out of reach — until a donor’s Gift of Hope opened the door to job skills training. Today, she’s learning new skills, finishing school and creating the stable future she’s always hoped for her family.

Milagros sits in bright red scrubs, the fabric lightly speckled with tiny dots of nail polish. Clear plastic glasses rest on her face, catching the light whenever she looks up. She says her story begins with a miracle.

She was born in Venezuela, where the collapse of the healthcare system created what is known as ruleta — “roulette” — forcing pregnant women to travel from one hospital to another in search of power, staff or basic supplies to safely deliver their babies.

Against the odds, her mother found a functioning hospital, and Milagros took her first breath there — the moment that inspired her name, which means miracle.

Life in Venezuela

Growing up in Venezuela, life was very difficult. Milagros spent most of her childhood without her father, whose struggles with addiction and violence kept him out of her life. She was raised by her mother alongside her two brothers.

“It was really hard — you don’t get paid enough to survive,” Milagros says. “Even if you had the money, there was no food to buy. Every day, my family gathered together to ration the food.”

When she was a teenager, Milagros started a relationship with a boy in her community. One day, she discovered she was pregnant. Ashamed and scared, she considered terminating the pregnancy or running away.

When she told her family the news, her fears of rejection were confirmed. “They didn’t talk to me,” Milagros recalls. “It was very hard.”

With no support from her baby’s father, Milagros continued the pregnancy and dropped out of school after ninth grade.

Eventually, her family came around, showing support for Milagros and embracing her baby girl.

“My brother supported us the most. But it was impossible for him to earn enough to take care of all of us,” Milagros remembers. “So, we packed up all that we had and came here — to Colombia.”

A New Start in Bogotá

Seven years ago, Milagros crossed the Venezuelan border with her mother, brothers and 3‑year‑old daughter. Squeezed into a vehicle filled with their belongings, they set out hoping for a more stable future.

“It was harder for my two brothers, who had to walk some of the way. They got blisters on their feet and their lips were cracked from the cold,” Milagros says. “But [after arriving in Bogotá], they were very fortunate that they found good people and they were able to get good jobs. God has blessed them.”

Milagros and her family moved into a cramped apartment in the heart of Bogotá. The day she arrived, she was out on the street, searching for job opportunities. But as a single mom without a high school diploma, her work options were limited. She found a job selling earrings on the street. “The second day I was here, I was working,” Milagros says.

When her daughter became old enough to start school, Milagros could work more consistently. She held jobs as a waitress, a street vendor and a cleaner — helping her provide food and basic necessities for herself and her daughter.

A Dangerous Situation

After moving to a more affordable neighborhood, Milagros met her next‑door neighbor and began a relationship with him. Hearing about her new partner, her family strongly opposed the relationship. But Milagros decided to continue with hopes for a happy future together.

At first, the relationship seemed to be going well. But over time, his behavior shifted — first becoming controlling and verbally aggressive, then turning physically violent.

A couple of years into the relationship, Milagros became pregnant with her second child. With another child on the way, they needed more income. But her partner told her she couldn’t work.

When her son was born, the isolation deepened. Cut off from friends and family, her confidence faded and the vibrant parts of her personality began to dim.

“It was a very hard situation … the domestic violence and everything,” Milagros says, her gaze drifting into the distance. “I was afraid to work — I doubted I could do it well.”

As their economic situation grew more desperate, Milagros began to search for work opportunities to keep food on the table. But finding work was nearly impossible without safe, reliable care for her 1‑year‑old son.

A Program Designed for Families

That’s when Milagros discovered Holt’s partner organization, Hogares Bambi.

Nestled in the Marruecos neighborhood of southeast Bogotá, Bambi sits on a winding hill lined with red brick buildings and vibrant, colorful homes. It’s a stark contrast against the drizzly grey sky.

“Bambi’s programs are, above all, deeply immersed in the community — not merely through their services, but by being physically situated right within the community itself,” says Ana Maria Fernandez, Holt’s Colombia program director. “All too often, people seek help and discover that programs do exist, but they are forced to travel an hour just to take their child there. Bambi possesses this beautiful quality: they decided to go out to the community rather than requiring people to come to them to receive aid.”

Like Holt, Bambi is committed to keeping children with their birth families. Through targeted interventions and ongoing support, Bambi helps prevent family separation caused by poverty, generational violence and other factors.

Bambi provides flexible, 24/7 childcare, along with health and nutrition screenings and early learning support for children under age 5. This care ensures they are safe and nurtured while their parents work or study.

“I never thought my life would change so much,” Milagros says. “Coming to Bambi, for me, it was just like, ‘Oh, there’s a spot for my kid.’ That’s it. I honestly never imagined the impact it could have in my life.”

A New Way Forward

Bambi takes a holistic approach to strengthening families. The organization regularly hosts personal development and parenting workshops led by psychologists and social workers, guiding mothers to rebuild self-esteem and rediscover a sense of purpose for the future. Mothers also receive weekly counseling sessions with staff psychologists.

“[Many women in the program] have controlling partners,” Cristina Serna, Bambi’s executive director, says. “They try to instill in these women that they have to be at home, taking care of the children, and they can’t do anything to fulfill their professional goals.”

When Milagros came to Bambi, she received intervention immediately.

“I was not well. My blood pressure was not okay because of the stress that I had,” Milagros says. “I was on edge all of the time.”

Through the generosity of Holt donors helping women escape domestic violence, Milagros was given the support she needed to leave her partner and find a safe place to live.

The Gift of Hope She Needed

All at once, Milagros was connected to counseling, childcare and parent trainings. And because of a generous Holt donor, Milagros received a Gift of Hope — the gift of job skills training.

Through this gift, Milagros joined Bambi’s vocational training program. The program helps women work toward financial independence through job placement assistance and vocational training — typically in beauty, sewing, soap making or baking. Staff members help women choose a vocation and develop a business plan over the course of a year.

“Our typical profile is a family that really is in need, that is struggling to survive,” Cristina says. “The majority of women in the program are single mothers. 90 to 95 percent are heads of the household.”

Since the start of the program in 2010, more than 300 women have launched their own businesses through Bambi. And with her nail technician training, Milagros has big dreams.

“I see my future self in something really big — like having my own nail shop. That’s kind of my big dream,” Milagros says. “But of course, I don’t want to leave my kids by themselves, so if I can have something at my home, I will start there.”

Just nine months ago, Milagros was afraid to dream. Stuck in an abusive relationship, she lost sight of who she was and who she wanted to be. But now she looks to the future.

“I will be able to graduate here, working with the nail training … and maybe give a better quality of life to my children. I will be able to work at home with my kids and not leave them,” Milagros explains. “Right now, I’m working a seven-hour shift where my children are not with me. Knowing I might be able to be with them and still work? That’s priceless.”

Moving Forward with Hope

Milagros has learned a lot through her job skills training program — from how to trim cuticles and create nail art to how to schedule clients and keep a budget. But she has also gained something beyond job skills — hope.

“Being here, I see all of these women — each one with a whole history, with difficulties of their own. I feel less alone,” Milagros says. “I’ve learned that even if I make a mistake, I can move through it. Things can still work out.”

She’s learned life skills as well as parenting skills. Her son, now 2, has learned a lot through Bambi as well. “He’s a little guy,” Milagros says with a smile. “But he is learning so many things. He can feed himself now. He’s become so independent.”

Through the support of her new community at Bambi, Milagros has also been finishing her high school degree. Now, a year later, she’s expected to graduate in a few months — something she never thought would be possible.

“All of us here have different lives. Some have more difficult situations than others, but we all need help,” Milagros says to Holt staff and donors. “If you could see us through a little lens — every situation, everything that happens in our lives — you would understand how important you are, that you’re helping us. You would realize how big of a deal that is.”

A Brighter Future

When Milagros had nowhere left to turn, support from Holt donors gave her the lifeline she needed — helping her escape domestic violence and begin building a safer future for her children. And since then, she’s grown in confidence and compassion for herself, learning to accept her past mistakes.

“That me from before — she brought me here,” Milagros says, tears streaming down her cheeks. “My mom recently told me that she is very proud of me. She’s never told me that before. I’m proud of me too.”

Today, Milagros stands on the edge of a future she once couldn’t even picture — one made possible by her courage, her resilience and the Gift of Hope that met her at the moment she needed it most.