Nadia Marcela Villarraga, a former FARC combatant, graduated as a doctor in Cuba thanks to a scholarship granted by the Cuban government as part of the reintegration process of the signatories of the Peace Agreement in Colombia.
Colombia News
Nadia Marcela Villarraga, a former FARC combatant, It is a clear example of the transformation and reintegration that the Peace Agreement made it possible. After a decade as a nurse in the guerrilla, Villarraga decided that her path to peace would be through medicine.
Thanks to a scholarship awarded by the Cuban government, she and 67 other Colombians, including four signatories of the Agreement, have recently received their general medical degree in Cuba.
In 2016, More than 13,000 people who were part of the FARC signed the Peace Agreement with the Colombian government. They committed to a process of reincorporation that has allowed many of them, like Nadia Marcela, to access educational and employment opportunities. Cuba has played a crucial role in this process, offering scholarships to study medicine to signatories of the Agreement.
The story of Nadia Marcela Villarraga
Nadia Marcela, who worked as a nurse in the country for years, saw the Cuban government’s call as an opportunity to become a professional.
«The process of studying medicine in Cuba has been very interesting and enriching. Here we are taught a more humanitarian medicine, focused on prevention and comprehensive knowledge of the patient and their environment»he told ARN.
Villarraga was part of the first group of 186 people who traveled to Cuba to receive medical training, in a program that originally offered 200 annual scholarships to signatories of the Peace Agreement.
The recent graduation ceremony in Cuba was a moment of great satisfaction for Nadia Marcela and her classmates. They see this stage as a crucial step in their reintegration process.
«My commitment to peace in Colombia from a medical perspective is based on providing us with work and academic opportunities, so that we can continue to train and specialize in order to influence public health policies»he said.
In addition to graduating, Villarraga hopes to specialize in public health or epidemiology, areas in which he believes he can have a significant impact in Colombia.
“The message I leave to Colombian society is that we, since we decided to sign the Peace Agreement, have made a commitment to building a new country. Here we are, training in different sectors to contribute in one way or another to the construction of that country that we all long for,” he concluded.
As Nadia Marcela prepares to return to Colombia, she is not only an excellent health professional but also hopes to be a leader in consolidating a stable and lasting peace.
