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Welcome to issue 96 of the Call to Comms!

This week, we spoke to Hernán, a displaced person in Latin America, in a shelter we work with to display essential information for migrants. He told us about his story; how he reached this shelter, and what information is most important to him.

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The project: Information Diffusion in Latin America

TSF works with centers along the migration route in Latin America to display essential, reliable and timely information on remote-controlled screens. The humanitarian information focuses on topics such as human rights, administrative procedures, health, education, and more.

Can you introduce yourself?

I’m Hernán*, from Honduras. 

(*Name changed for privacy reasons.)

Why did you decide to leave, and how has your journey been?

[I decided to leave] because organized crime took my house. I was followed all the way to the Mexico-Guatemala border, where they tried to kill me. But, thanks to my connections back in Honduras, I was warned and took precautions. Now I’m here, but my journey has been marked by tragedy—I lost my leg along the way.

I arrived at a shelter with poor conditions. We were crammed together, and I couldn’t take off my shoe. Since I’m diabetic, I developed a sore on my foot. I didn’t pay much attention to it, and when I finally looked, my foot had turned black.

I sought help from the shelter to take me to a hospital, but they refused. The next day, I could barely move. A kind man from the town gave me 50 pesos and directions to the hospital. I was admitted, and on September 17, they amputated part of my foot. The doctor explained that the infection—gangrene—had advanced quickly because of my diabetes. By September 27, they amputated my entire leg. I was discharged on September 28, but I had nowhere to go. I told the doctor I wanted to die because I had no family here and no resources.

“Now I’m here, but my journey has been marked by tragedy.”

What are your plans now?

To stay here, in Mexico. I’m applying for asylum.

How do you feel about this shelter? 

[I’m treated] much better. I feel like I’m in “El Chavo del Ocho” [a sitcom about a poor orphan] because in other shelters, we sleep on the floor, but here I have a bed and a mattress (laughs).

Have you seen the information on the screens in the shelter? 

Yes, everything about our safety interests me. One part I liked was about not trusting people who could lead you down the wrong path.

Do you have a message for other migrants on their journey?

They should take care of themselves. What I’ve been through, I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I’ve seen terrible things—kidnappings, murders, and women being violated. It’s not easy. Out of a group of 25 people traveling from Zuleida to Tapachula, only five of us made it.

When we reached Metapa, I begged for help from a local man, who eventually called the municipal police. I couldn’t return to my country, and I still can’t.

“Everything about our safety interests me.”

See you in two weeks.