Cristina Callejas: “Colombians Are Tireless for What We Want and Believe”

Colombian Cristina Callejas recently received the Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All Award from the Women Economic Forum (WEF) in India and Egypt thanks to her professional practice on the Bepow portal that collects stories from women from all over the world: "As Part of my work I covered the first WEF in Latin America that was held in 2019 in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, highlighting the participating women. At the beginning of 2020, I received the email announcing the awards for which I never applied."

Her work as a journalist making visible stories that are worth knowing, earned her these two awards: "The best of what I do is what I learn from the experiences of other women, I apply much of what they tell me in my own life."

Another of the scenarios in which Cristina Callejas brings to the world her professionalism and a sensitivity specialty based on her peers is the Human Tissue Corporation where she is president of the board of directors for Cundinamarca: “During the pandemic, together with the director Adriana Avilés, we created an interesting product for women, a course for their political empowerment ”.

Cristina Callejas also gives time and professional efforts to the She Is Foundation, led by Nadia Sánchez: "I met Nadia in Cartagena and I became an ambassador for her project."

She is also a volunteer with the Corporación Empoderarte de Villavicencio, in the department of Meta, Colombia, and a member of the Network of Women Leaders of the Americas based in Spain.

Time for Everything

At what time does Cristina Callejas do so many things? There are many activities that do not translate into money but she develops them because of her vocation to serve. It's that simple! One of the projects that she has just finished is her participation in a book: "Since I was little I was a reader. My mom would buy me a monthly book as long as I checked that I had finished one to start the other. Thanks to reading, I became a good writer with an impeccable spelling. I did my internship at the newspaper El Tiempo. I also worked in the magazine Cromos and was a correspondent for the EFE Agency in the United States."

Her professional evolution turned her into an editor and fate took her to Editorial Planeta where she learned the secrets of book production: "I was a ghostwriter for public entities and wrote texts on behalf of third parties but I was terrified of doing it with myself. own signature. I always believed that I had nothing interesting to say. It was a chicken," she says laughing.

Also read: PAULA GONZÁLEZ SALAS: IT'S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP!

Her Words in a Book

The path leads Callejas to find the possibility of writing in his own name: "In a meeting that I attended on behalf of the Corporación Tejido Humano, they asked me to write a chapter of a book in the Summarium collection, Collective Construction of Knowledge in the one that several Latin American experts contribute to the issue of labor welfare."  What convinced her to want to participate was that the proceeds of the book's sales will end up in the hands of people in need. There would be no money for her pocket, but there would be the possibility of helping just for the satisfaction that this generates: "That moved me!" She made her contribution through the chapter called "The silent enemy noise of communication.” The book was released on December 18, 2021.

Equity

Throughout her interview with The Woman Post, it is clear that Cristina Callejas's concepts about women and men are geared towards gender equality: “My vocation of natural service has shown me scenarios that lead me to think about the need for women to empower themselves. There are many economic, political and digital gaps, among others, that separate us from men and in that sense I have an opinion that not everyone shares. For me, gender equality implies the same opportunities for men and women without stepping on each other, without being against. It is about understanding what is inherent in the nature of each gender, putting on the shoes of others and understanding the details of coexistence and the respect." To share this vision, from Corporación Tejido Humano, she participated in the design of the course on Non-Violence against Women, only for men, for which more than 3,000 male people enrolled.

Cristina, the Woman

Cristina has no children but nephews. Her life partner is the psychologist Gustavo Pérez, whom she deeply loves. She defines herself in these words: “I am a daughter of God, very loved and I try to live my life consistently and do honest work. I regret taking time away from my family due to work commitments. I had the hardest experience when my husband was about to die from COVID-19. They called me to say goodbye to him and the only thing I thought about during the 70 days he was hospitalized was how many times he waited for me until late at night while I was working”. Her husband passed the test and faith in God kept Cristina Callejas standing, a woman who is convinced that she came into the world to help as many people as possible: "If you have knowledge, money and time, share it.”

Callejas describes Colombian women as constant and passionate: “We are strong and used to fighting for what we want and what we believe in, happy, courageous, resilient, resourceful and generous. If I had to define the Colombian woman in one word, I would say that she is tireless.”