By María Elizabeth Ramírez Pérez, Social Communicator – Journalist, El Buen Pastor Foundation (Province of Colombia – Venezuela)
At Fundación El Buen Pastor, we continue to strengthen our commitment to supporting the mission. From September 8 to 12, 2025, eight participants, including staff members, sisters, and volunteers, had the honor of taking part in training on the methodology of Women’s Support Groups (GAM), “Resilient Women”. This in-person gathering took place at Casa María Droste in Rionegro, Colombia, and benefited from the valuable guidance of facilitators Mabel Casanova and Marlin Camargo.
Director of Fundación El Buen Pastor, Sister Hennis Marlley, explained that “GAM is a space for human, personal, and social development. GAM provides you with all the tools you need to understand your own reality and, in doing so, to understand the reality of the other person who is with you and who will find in you a support network. »
This experience provided a space for connection, learning, and growth, where each participant could experience the methodology and draw from the knowledge it offers. It was also a moment of conviction and commitment: to bring this knowledge to each of the Foundation’s services, to share it and put it into practice for the benefit of the women we accompany.
Facilitator Marlin Camargo explained that they had “the honor of leading and facilitating with a bunch of beautiful, precious women who were there willing to open their hearts, to experience the methodology, to learn about GAM, and above all, willing to replicate these methodologies in their areas of work.»
Through this experience, sisters, staff members, and partners-in-mission explored the elements of the methodology, which will enable a deeper understanding, approach, and implementation of it. In this way, we are taking firm steps to establish ourselves as qualified guides on the path of personal and social development that we offer to so many women.
The gathering concluded on September 12 with a moving closing ceremony and graduation. More than just a training session, it was a space to look inward, recognize oneself, and connect with other women as they experienced the GAM Methodology firsthand.
Psychosocial Coordinator Yulieth Navarro, who took part in the GAM experience, shared that it “is a women’s support group and that we definitely become a support for everyone. »
The joy of having completed this stage was mixed with the certainty that what was learned will be a valuable tool to accompany other women in their own processes. From this personal experience arises the strength to convey a message that unites and echoes in each of them: Woman, you are not alone—count on me!
Facilitator Mabel Casanova extended an invitation “for each of you to embrace the methodology with great love, because it is a methodology that brings healing, reconciliation, and above all helps women gain tools so they can get out of situations of violence. »
