Iliana Curiel: The Pediatrician Striving to Make La Guajira’s Children Visible
Colombia is one of the countries in the world that most violates children’s rights.
Iliana Curiel, a pediatrician of Wayuu descent, decided to leave everything behind and immerse herself in Alta Guajira. With her expertise, she aims to implement an emergency plan to reduce malnutrition and social problems affecting children in her region. She believed that by combining her scientific and ancestral knowledge, she could minimize the deaths of Wayuu children.
“For many years, I wanted to be a pediatrician, but when I confronted the problems facing children in my region, I asked myself many questions. The answer to many of those questions was to act in a different way,”
she says.
But her work didn’t stop there. She was appointed President of the Adolescence Committee of the Latin American Pediatric Association, so her work extended beyond treating young children to addressing what many consider the most challenging stage of life.
“Colombia and Venezuela are the countries in the world that most violate children’s and adolescents’ rights, according to the latest Save the Children report. We need to raise awareness and start working to end this behavior that harms such an important population,” Curiel stated.
Iliana Curiel not only diagnoses her young patients but also takes seriously the social issues surrounding them. For instance, she works on programs to prevent corruption among the new generations.
“Something very curious happened. We did an activity with several teenagers where they were given some tools, many of which were edible. The kids used them up, and that’s when we reflected on how often we encounter these issues in La Guajira. We provide money for things to be done, and it gets stolen,” she adds.
The Guajira pediatrician has quietly worked in Alta Guajira, striving to make her community understand the importance of nurturing childhood. “They are the future of Colombia, and we might have a Wayuu princess among us,” she emphasizes.
Source: RCN Radio
