Migrant mothers find care, renewal, and hope at Samaritan's Purse clinics along Colombia's border with Venezuela.
Fear melts into relief as weary mothers trickle into the Samaritan’s Purse maternal clinics in Colombia.
They’ve traveled over rivers, through jungles, and across dangerous borders for help and support unavailable in their Venezuelan hometowns. A decade-long economic crisis has crippled the healthcare system there and made access to basic necessities, such as food and medicine, unaffordable.
Along Colombia’s border with Venezuela, Samaritan’s Purse opened two maternal clinics in 2020 to provide urgent prenatal care for these migrant mothers—while also sharing the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ as they arrive.
At Samaritan’s Purse maternal clinics in Colombia near the border with Venezuela, pregnant mothers are introduced to the Gospel as they find a refuge from the chaotic world around them.
“The initiative arose from the real and urgent need to provide comprehensive support to Venezuelan migrant women during pregnancy,” said Candy Rueda, the health program manager for Samaritan’s Purse in Colombia. She explained that the goal of the clinics is to give each woman an “informed, safe, and dignified maternity experience.”
Healing Body and Soul
In the five-year span since the clinics were established, Samaritan’s Purse has provided urgent prenatal care for more than 3,500 pregnant women and their babies between the two clinics. Each birth represents a precious child created in the image of God.
During their time at the clinics, mothers are provided a full spectrum of care. Doctors and nutritionists lead hands-on demonstrations and informational courses on how to prepare for childbirth and how to care for their newborns. Mothers are given vitamins and other nutritional support items to boost their health and that of their babies. Each mother also meets with a psychologist for individual emotional support.
While at the clinic, the women participate in several interactive activities and hands-on demonstrations to better equip them for motherhood.
Before any of this takes place, however, the mothers hear the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Samaritan’s Purse chaplains upon entering the clinic. They are then given Bibles and devotionals—often their first—and invited to pray and reflect on God’s faithfulness, with many requesting personal prayer time with the chaplains.
“The program has become a doorway for many women and their families to know Jesus, accept Him, and follow Him,” Rueda said.
As they leave, mothers receive a pink baby kit filled with essential items to care for themselves and their newborns. These kits include baby clothing, wipes, diapers, lotion, and other hygiene products for both mother and child.
The baby kit gives mothers all the necessary items to keep themselves and their soon-to-be newborns healthy and safe.
Finding Family
Belkis migrated to Colombia some years ago after hitchhiking through Venezuela for eight days with her small children by her side. Now seven months pregnant, she arrived at the Samaritan’s Purse clinic seeking help amid life’s storms.
“Life has been hard,” she said.
Her experience at the Samaritan’s Purse clinic prepared Belkis for the delivery of her next child.
Through the care she received, however, Belkis faces the uncertain road ahead with confidence and hope—equipped with supplies and knowledge to care for her soon-to-be child.
“The love and care here make me feel like I have family,” she said. “The team truly cares. Everything is so beautiful.”
Yeiny was another mother who left the clinic refreshed. Pregnant with her first child, the Venezuelan mother felt overwhelmed after the father had left and her family pushed her away.
Yeiny (left) prays with other expecting mothers at the training session.
“When I came here, I felt supported,” she said. “I had been depressed, but here I’ve felt much better—they make me feel at home. They listen, they care, and they help you believe again.”
Through her experience at the Samaritan’s Purse clinic, Yeiny is quick to share with others the help and hope she received. “When I meet a pregnant woman who’s struggling, I’ll say, ‘Here—call them. They’ll take care of you.’ Because I know she’ll be welcomed with love.”
Following childbirth, mothers continue to receive support from Samaritan’s Purse through postpartum consultations during the first months. This includes a complete health checkup, general medicine for mother and baby, nutritional support, and more.
Printed on a bag of health supplies, Jeremiah 29:11 reminds each mother who comes to the Samaritan’s Purse clinic that God has a perfect plan for them.
Serving as Instruments of God’s Love
In each class, consultation, and activity, the once-weary mothers are reminded that the child growing inside them is God’s unique creation.
“Some mothers come uncertain about continuing their pregnancies, but after receiving care, they decide to continue,” Rueda said. “Samaritan’s Purse is simply an instrument of God’s great love, that cares for both their health and their hearts.”
Mothers leave the Samaritan’s Purse clinic with a healthy, Godly perspective on their pregnancy and new friends for life.
Jessy, another Venezuelan mother at the clinic, saw and experienced this “great love” throughout her time. “I’ve been treated so well,” she said. “I’ve learned to see this baby as a blessing—everything happens for a reason, and God has a purpose for me.”
Please pray for the thousands of mothers who have gone through the Samaritan’s Purse clinics in Colombia—and for the many more who will come. Ask that the Lord would protect them and their little ones, and remind them of His steadfast love and unwavering faithfulness.
