Colombian refugees in Aotearoa

Fr Don Hornsey with Colombian refugees in Levin. Photo: Fr Don Hornsey

Since returning to Aotearoa from South America, I have been accompanying migrants from those countries, especially refugees from Colombia, who have been victims of 60 years of civil war there. Although peace has supposedly been made, there is still much violence in parts of the country, and refugees are still arriving. Each group is assigned to a different city or town, and those who have arrived most recently and are still arriving are located in Levin, 90 kilometres north of Lower Hutt.

Senora Amanda has been my contact there and I have made a number of visits and sometimes have celebrated mass or other feasts with them. Last Friday, Amanda asked if I could go for mass on Saturday. I did but it was at short notice and some of the people had other commitments and were unable to attend. Larry Barnett came with me as we drove up to Levin.

The Northern coastline of Colombia lies on the Caribbean Sea, but the families in Levin come from the Southwest Pacific coast centred around Tumaco, and they have a different culture with their own songs and dances. Amanda is anxious to form a cultural group and is working to obtain their special costumes and musical instruments. In the meantime, the adults attend English classes while the children quickly learn the new language at school. It is very rewarding to maintain contact with them as they face the difficulties of entry into a new culture, but they thank God each day for the chance to have left violence behind and to be now living in peace.

Columban Fr Don Hornsey lives and works in New Zealand.