Colombia

The gulf between the haves and the have-nots in Colombia is alarming. Decades of civil war and conflict have resulted in a country plagued by violence and murder. For six million children deep in poverty, a lack of educational opportunities and malnutrition is an everyday reality. Children have severe health issues worsened due to not being able to afford medical treatment. Many children suffer from psychological problems as a result of neglect, abuse and violence experienced in their homes.

2005

We adopted 52 of the poorest children in an impoverished town and provided them with a good education and a hot meal each day

2010

We purchased and renovated a derelict building to improve the facilities and increase the number of pupils in our school to 245

2011

The first medical team visited the school to help us deal with the ever-growing health needs of our children

2012

We ran our first summer sports and Bible camp, allowing children to escape their inadequate home conditions, have fun and receive good meals

2013

Our first students graduated from school and went on to continue their education at a government high school

2014

Many of our children have health issues and cannot afford medical treatment, so we started a medical fund to help them and their families

2014

We began renovating some children’s family homes to provide a safe and healthy environment for our kids and their families

2015

A counsellor was employed to help support children who were suffering from psychological and emotional problems

2017

To fight against child abuse and neglect, we established a care centre to support families through counselling, training and housing support

2017

While we still face severe challenges, we feel our holistic approach is now impacting children’s lives and benefitting the local community

2019

We sent our first team to Colombia, including doctors and teachers who spent 10 days running clinics for our children as well as a fun summer camp. 

Jhoiser lived with his mother, father, two brothers and cousin. He was a happy child until one day his father very sadly passed away.

The whole family was changed by grief and Jhoiser had to deal with emotions that someone so young should never have to experience. This tragic loss had a big impact on Jhoiser both at home and at school.

We are able to care for Jhoiser’s family through emotional and spiritual support and fund Jhoiser to receive the emotional support he needs. The pain of losing his father may never leave him but with our help and God’s love he can find joy in his childhood again.

Victor lives with his mother, stepfather and siblings in Colombia. They live in a house made of mud and the whole family sleeps in one small dark bedroom.

Victor can often be found playing outside with children in his neighbourhood. As a Stand by Me child, Victor gets the love and attention he needs as well as nutritious food to keep him healthy. He may be a little cheeky in class but he loves to learn. His favourite subject is Spanish Literature and just like all of our kids in Colombia - he loves to play ‘soccer’.

Dana lives with her mother, uncle, two brothers and three sisters in a rented house with just one bedroom. 

Her mother works but the income is not enough to feed the whole family and as a consequence Dana was seriously malnourished.

With our help Dana is now able to go to school and receive a life-changing education and the chance to escape years of poverty. Dana wasn’t eating much at home, but now through our medical care she receives food supplements and a tailored diet, keeping her healthy and smiling (and showing off those gorgeous dimples). She loves the colour yellow and when she grows up she would like to be a doctor.

Yina is the youngest of four siblings and lives in a house with just one bedroom. Living in terrible conditions without a toilet caused her many health issues and discomfort.

When Yina joined our programme we built her family a toilet. The toilet changed everything for Yina, better hygiene, much better health for Yina and dignity for her whole family. She loves learning and enjoys playing after school, pretending to cook like her mum.

Isaac first came to our Emmanuel Care Centre when he was four years old. Life was hard for him back then. With barely any income, his mum struggled to feed him and Isaac had little chance of ever achieving an education. 

Isaac is now 14 and lives with his mum and his nephew. He receives regular food, medical help and tutoring at our safe and colourful care centre. We’ve seen him grow in confidence and best of all, he’s doing well at school and on his way to achieving his dreams of being an actor.

If you don’t think you’d write to your child at least once per year, we’d love you to consider becoming a regular giver instead
Stand by... almost there...