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For Colombians, A Growing Peril From Land Mines
Alex Florez, 11, left, joins other young victims of land mines to watch television at the Jesus of Nazareth rehabilitation center in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Alex lost an eye and has undergone skin grafts to reconstruct his face.
(By Juan Forero -- The Washington Post)
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"We make sure they're rehabilitated, that they don't leave for a farm after losing hands and eyes -- what would they do there if they're not ready?" she said.
There are some who will never go back to the farms.
Pedro Lozano, 37, lost his eyesight when a mine exploded while he was swinging a machete on the farm where he worked. He will never plow fields or herd cattle again. He knows that. Still, he tries to be upbeat, talking about what is positive about his new life.
He said he reads Braille now -- an achievement for someone who knew only how to write his name when he could see. And he spends hours each day carefully weaving baskets, complete with bright orange and green sunflowers, which are sold in local markets.
A few feet away, amid workbenches and tools, is where Pallares paints.
He was only 19 when he was injured and, in the years since, he's been in one hospital after another. Eight surgeries were needed to fix his face. He's now been at Jesus of Nazareth since 1998 -- and there are no plans to leave soon.
The painting, he said, has helped in ways he could never imagine. "My mind just converts into colors," he said, "and I forget everything. It helps de-stress me completely. Art has been such a great help for me."
Pallares said he is now trying his hand at every style of painting that he can. He talks about being the complete artist, getting past the bucolic scenes. Perhaps the country's roiling conflict will become fodder for his art. Or even nudes, he said with a smile.
"I'm still useful for society," he said. "What I had needed to find was something that would match my abilities. What I found was painting."
