“She Knows How Far She Has Come”: How Lumos Colombia Helped Tatiana Find Her Voice
27.05.2026
At 18, Tatiana* knows who she is and how far she has come. She never hesitates to extend a hand, to listen, or to offer companionship to those around her. She dreams of becoming a police officer or a nurse.
For more than two years, Tatiana was part of a Lumos Colombia participation group, a safe space designed to help children and young people advocate for themselves and shape the lives they want to lead. Through the group, she discovered abilities she hadn’t known she had, built friendships, and developed a stronger sense of identity and independence.
Through the Board, Tatiana (pictured) found a new purpose: becoming a voice for young people with autism, speaking candidly about the challenges of feeling seen, understood, and respected.
Tatiana experienced persistent bullying from classmates, compounded by a school system that failed to respond to her needs as a young person with a disability, forced her to leave education entirely. But with the unwavering support of her mother and her aunt, who serves as her legal guardian, Tatiana found ways to keep learning and growing.
Then, at the start of 2025, she took a significant step forward and joined the Lumos Colombia Youth Advisory Board. The Board brings together young people to build their skills, engage in care reform advocacy, and directly shape Lumos’s strategies and policies.
Through the Board, Tatiana found a new purpose: becoming a voice for young people with autism, speaking candidly about the challenges of feeling seen, understood, and respected.
Tatiana is a brilliant example of how someone with the right support can really flourish and thrive. She is now able to speak about herself with clarity, with pride, and with a deep awareness of her own growth. She knows the changes she has experienced and she knows how far she has come.
– Sophia Jaramillo, Child and Youth Participation Co-ordinator, Lumos Colombia.
With big ambitions, a gift for helping others, Tatiana has a story that shows what becomes possible when a child receives the right support at the right time. That support came through Lumos Colombia and Foundation FRINE, and it has made all the difference.
Foundation FRINE is a non-profit organisation and key Lumos partner in Colombia. It supports people with disabilities and their families through social programmes that protect rights, promote inclusion, and ensure full participation in society.
Tatiana’s story reflects a challenge Lumos sees across the world. “Children with disabilities are at the highest risk of family separation. But access to specialist services can help children remain with their families and involvement in youth participation activities can also be a great tool for an individual’s development,” adds Sophia.
Lumos works globally to prioritise the rights of children with disabilities in care reform, making sustained and strategic progress in preventing family separation through access to high-quality, community-based services. Through Youth Advisory Boards across the world, Lumos ensures that the voices of young people, including those with disabilities, directly influence how care systems are designed and reformed.
For Tatiana, the journey is far from over. But the foundation is there, built on friendship, support, and the belief that every child deserves the chance to flourish. She knows how far she has come. And she is just getting started.
Through her involvement with Lumos and the specialist support from Foundation FRINE, she has found the tools to communicate better, participate more actively, and build stronger relationships.
– Sophia Jaramillo, Child and Youth Participation Co-ordinator, Lumos Colombia
Stories like Tatiana’s are made possible by people like you. Support Lumos today and help more children find their voice, their confidence, and their place in the world.
