Colombia: Social centre for former street children

In Columbia there are hardly any tourists but about 30,000 murders a year. Many people flee from the guerrillas and leave the villages and come to the cities. Bogota has about 10 million inhabitants of whom about half are incredibly poor. In some parts of the city even the police refuse to go on patrol. Alongside the general crime, in the past were also the dreaded death squads to reckon with.

In 1988 Maria Antonia Zerate, known as Totis, who was 24 years old at the time, decided to devote her life to the poor. She got to know the way of life of the poorest people who lived on the streets. In 1994 Totis began with a handful of helpers to look after about 50 families who lived in poor shacks near a derelict railway line in the middle of the city. She organised excursions for the children, festivals, and performed plays with them.

The police however wanted with the help of the death squads to ‘cleanse’ the streets of the unwanted homeless. One September day in 1997 the people were rounded up by 300 policemen and their huts destroyed. Totis’ and other aid organisations placed themselves at the last minute between the street people and the police and generated so much media interest that the police had to negotiate. After many discussions the people were allowed to move to a new settlement at Sierra Morena in the winter of 1997/98 in the South of Bogota.

New Hope for 50 Families

The "Sierra Morena" soon distinguished itself from the surrounding houses through its bright colours, flowers and stone paved ways and yards. But then the actual work began. Would these people manage to not end up on the streets again? At first most of them were not capable of washing their own clothes - their life up until now had been lived by the motto- survive and find food!

But somehow most of the families began to look after their two small rooms and make them tidy. Many young people began to think about training for work and having real aims in life. The children became opener and more trusting, their no longer turned to violence to solve problems as had earlier been ‘normal’.

In June 2001 a real small kindergarten for 30 children was founded, now there are 50 children.

With the help of WOW Day donations it was possible to open a small social centre in June 2004. Here there is a library, there are rooms for playing music, modelling, weaving and painting. 150 children receive help with their school work. 15 children who don’t have a place at school receive help to keep them off the streets and prevent them from getting involved in drugs and prostitution.

The whole project is right in the centre of the poorest area of Bogotà. You can feel fear everywhere. The mayor has declared the area an ‘Emergency zone’ because there is no education and the children suffer hunger and armed violence is so pervading.

Here WOW Day donations can help create a better future!

Contact

Corporación Educativa y Social Waldorf
Carrera 18 A # 101 - 42 - Of. 501
Bogotá D.C.
Kolumbien

Phone: 0057 1 621 8132
E-mail: helgo(at)cable.net.co (Helmut von Loebell)
Homepage: www.ceswaldorf.org.co