The area

Why Help the Children of Colombia ?

Inocent children are being affected by the conflict in Colombia and, without help they will become part of the problem. more

The situation

The 50-year civil war in Colombia has created a very serious humanitarian crisis, with 2 to 3 million people displaced from their homes. Most of the desplazados - the displaced; are forced to take refuge in over-crowded cities living in abandon buildings or make-shift shacks.

A Difficult Time for Our Children at the beginning of 2008

Since the end of last year and the beginning of this one, an unusually long and strong rainy season (due to the “Niña” phenomenon) has caused innumerable problems. The fact that most of the streets aren't paved makes the access hazardous at best and impossible in many cases. Typically, strong rains often make the area very muddy, and the teachers and children can't make it to school. However, in February 2008 the situation became catastrophic. With the accumulated impact of the continuous rain, some of the houses have literally fallen down. As a result, some of the children don't even have a place they can call home. A mud slide covered the kitchen and bathrooms of one of the Community Centers that we use for the “Homework Clinics” project. This Community Center had to be cleaned and fixed very quickly so that it could be used as shelter for the families that lost their homes.

An example- the commune of Altos de la Cruz

The commune of Altos de la Cruz in Cali is typical of the areas where the desplazados live. This squatters' community sprang up with the sudden influx of desperate displaced families. Basic sanitary services are scarce. Perhaps most heart breaking are the children, who wander the streets with little food and no hope of an education. In 1999, missionaries of the Divino Salvador built a rudimentary school to try to start to address the needs of Altos de la Cruz. The school lacks running water, toilets, a cafeteria, a kitchen or a teachers' room. The school is only large enough to house four grades. A local government organization provides breakfast for some of the children. Despite the meagerness of the facility, it does provide hope to the residents of this community.

Diana is another student at the school. Her family came to Altos de la Cruz looking for better opportunities. Right now, her dad works as a construction contractor, earning $143.00 a month. Diana is one of the lucky ones. She lives with both parents, and all her siblings are alive. Still, Diana, her mother, father, her two sisters and brother live in a two room house without running water.

Typical of the students who attend the La Cruz school is four year old Jose. His family arrived two years ago and they live with Jose's uncle. Jose's father and mother occasionally find work, but in general, the family lives in grinding poverty so severe that they can't afford to give Jose the 10 cents needed per day to provide him with lunch.

ColombiaCare's mission is to help children like Jose and Diana. Our first project was to improve the facilities at the La Cruz School. Read more about this project here. Also, look at the other projects that are in progress. You can help by contributing your time or money to ColombiaCare. By contributing a little, you will be making a big impact in the lives of children like Jose and Diana.