Laura Ulloa

Laura Ulloa

Political Scientist

Political Scientist specialized in Organizations, Social Responsibility and Development. Laura has worked for the Colombian Mission to the UN as an intern to the Security Council, the Colombian Agency for Reintegration where she helped former guerrilla members reintegrate into society, and for the Corona Foundation, where as a social project coordinator she helped  strengthening tools for vocational orientation and socio-emotional skills in teachers working in conflict zones in order to prevent kids on joining armed groups.

In 1999 Laura was kidnapped at the age of nine with her mother, sister and 190 other people by the National Liberation Army (ELN) while attending church, an ordeal she was able to luckily escape from after a few hours.  Some less fortunate church-goers remained in captivity for several months. In 2001 Laura was again kidnapped, this time alone, after terrorists from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) hijacked her school bus.

After living inside violence, she truly believes that peace is only possible if we rehumanize those who have harmed us, and if we learn to forgive. Her testimony has been key in helping Colombian society to end stigma towards ex-combats and has inspired many affected by war but also by felling’s of grieve, hate and resentment to forgive and heal.

"At Eleusis, one realises, if never before, that there is no salvation in becoming adapted to a world which is crazy. At Eleusis, one becomes adapted to the cosmos. Outwardly Eleusis may seem broken, disintegrated with the crumbled past; actually, Eleusis is still intact and it is we who are broken, dispersed, crumbling to dust. Eleusis lives; lives eternally in the midst of a dying world."
Henry Miller

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