Camila Martinez
I come from a purely rural family, father, mother and 7 siblings. My childhood was a lot of walking; we went from farm to farm working with my father and siblings to get the basics for the family.
I am the oldest of my siblings, so from a very young age I took on the job as a chance to help my parents and my younger siblings. I learned all about the countryside, cultivating the land and raising animals.
At the age of 15, I was already living with a partner and I had my first child some time later. Born and raised in the heat of the guerrillas, I joined the ELN because I liked the way they treated people, because they were like me, working and wandering.
In the ELN I learned many things, from reading and writing because here what you don‘t know is learned with the help of your colleagues. I taught urban guerrillas how to survive on the mountain and they taught me writing, math, science, a little bit of everything.
I became a health worker because I like to be able to help those who have a pain, being able to relieve is a great satisfaction for me and along that path, I also ended up being a war doctor. At first, curing mostly with herbs, which the people of the region know themselves, which are used to relieve pain, which are used as antibiotics, and so on. Then I learned more specialized knowledge about the vademecum, for the treatment of diseases and care of the wounded.
Here in the ELN I had the rest of my children and with the help of the compañeros and compañeros and the communities they helped me raise them. Today they are adults with their own families and they understand the life that guerrillas have to live, to try to make things better for all of Colombia someday.
Something very beautiful that fills me with joy is teaching, just as I was taught. I have spent many years as an instructor and in this task one becomes mother, sister and godmother of colleagues, who share with one another their life stories, their sorrows and dreams.
Today I have taken on driving duties and I continue to learn what I lack and teach what I have learned with the contribution of so many compañeros and compañeros, bosses and the humble people of the regions, through which I do social work.