Colombia - The child sponsorship program

Bringing Hope to Altos de Cazuca

In the last article, we explored the historical and social background of the challenges being faced by Colombians today. Large squatter zones have sprouted on inhospitable hillsides and landfill sites as millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) huddle around Colombia’s major cities, driven there by the violence in the countryside. In this article, our tour focuses in one of the IDP zones on the outskirts of Bogotá, Altos de Cazuca.

Hang on tight! We are bouncing around in the back of a four-wheel drive jeep as we head up a steep rutted dirt road to Altos de Cazuca. The name of our Christian partner, CDA (translated as Corporation God is Love) is prominently displayed on the side of our vehicle. The local paramilitaries allow CDA into the area because they recognize that CDA is helping the community. Even so, it is dangerous. Certain protocols need to be followed – nods and hand signals.

The local paramilitary group controls Altos de Cazuca by fear and intimidation. During the day, paramilitary members merge into the general population. It is usually only at night that they come out and enforce their twilight curfew with guns, while brutally hunting down anyone who has spoken against them. Recently, the authorities determined that a worker in a small shoe store was a leader of the paramilitary. A large contingent of the Bogota police force soon arrived, surrounded the store, and arrested the man. This is a rare occurrence, since opening one’s mouth in the IDP areas is an invitation for an assassin’s bullet.

Soon we arrive at the front gate of the Altos de Cazuca School, which has 1,008 sponsored children enrolled. The school is surrounded by a high wall topped with barbed wire. Missy Christie de Acosta, one of the leaders of CDA, tells us the sad story of a 16-year-old student at the school who sang a beautiful song for her on her birthday a few months ago. A week later, having been seen talking to a girl that a young paramilitary gang member fancied, the 17-year-old gang member approached the home of the 16-year-old, asked him to step outside, and shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Just like that, a precious and promising young life is snuffed out. Even so, nothing is done about these crimes. Missy points out that Colombia has a very well-defined set of laws (too well-defined in many instances), but fails to enforce them, especially in these poor squatter areas.

Entering the school is like entering an oasis in the desert. The contrast is startling. Outside, one is met with the somber, almost lifeless, stares of people for whom curiosity is a long forgotten luxury. Inside, our ears are assaulted with the laughter of children. Oh happy sound! A number are playing in the courtyard and when they see us, they stop, point, and smile at us. Several years ago, you wouldn’t have heard much laughter. The children were hyperactive, disrespectful, and played in packs, looking fearfully at other groups. They were children who carried the burdens of adulthood. Today they are much calmer, respectful, and relaxed with each other. Back then, the main reason the children gave for being at the school was the warm meal they were served each day. Now they speak of the importance of studying God’s Word and the desire to serve Him.

As we walk through the school, which is perched on the hillside, we can see the mountains in the distance shrouded in fog. We are shown an addition to the school which is still under construction. New government restrictions mean that the school can no longer run in two shifts. Based on a government study, it has been determined that children are at risk when they are enrolled in the irregular shift since their key caregivers are often not available to look after them when they get home from school. The added facilities are needed to handle that issue, as well as further growth. The local education ministry can make life very difficult. One of the other CDA schools was recently shut down for three weeks because a relatively minor detail on a form was missed. Local officials like to flex their power and are usually oblivious to the real needs of the children.

We are invited to enter a number of classrooms and are greeted respectfully by the students. They all stand up and say in unison, “Buenos Dias!” Upon learning that they are studying math, we give them some math problems to solve and they happily compete to provide the answers. In each class we ask questions about the last Bible lesson they have had (they receive them daily). We are delighted to see that each class’s knowledge of the Bible corresponds quite closely to what we would expect of Christian school children in North America.

There are a number of accelerator classes. Some children enter the sponsorship program at an older age than others and understandably do not fit in well with children who are significantly younger than they are. Rather than allow the problem to ferment, the accelerator classes have been put in place to help these children catch up to their peer group.

One of the highlights of our day is the visit to the class for the mentally challenged. The teacher, along with one assistant, looks after 21 students—a big challenge. The teacher has special training to teach these children and has given up a job with double the salary to teach this class. She clearly loves the children and puts her all into it. We are impressed and thankful for the high calibre of talent that God has provided for the school.

We visit the kitchen. Every student in this school of 1,008 children receives at least one warm meal every school day. Some receive two. The children eat in their classrooms.

After some refreshing fruit drinks, we spend the remainder of the day doing personal interviews with some of the sponsored children. Repeatedly, we are told by the children how their lives have changed. “We go to church now.” “My parents don’t fight anymore.”

It is 5:00 pm and we need to be out of the area before dark. Our two security men herd us back to the jeep and we are treated to another jostling ride down the mountain. We safely leave the Altos de Cazuca district, having been enriched, encouraged, and challenged to match the passion and self-sacrifice of the teachers and administrators of this special school that is a beacon of light in an ocean of darkness.

Rick Postma is director of public relations for Word & Deed Ministries

Colombia - An Introduction

A Tour de Force

Having been with Word & Deed for all of one week, my colleague Bernie Pennings and I went on a trip to Colombia and Ecuador. As an introduction to the work of Word & Deed, it was a tour de force. In order for me to understand Word & Deed and the work she does in Colombia through her partner, CDA, it was necessary for me to step back and take a bird’s eye view of the country and the various projects being run there. Since I’ve already been on the tour, allow me to show you around ….

A Tale of 2 Countries

Colombia – a land of soaring mountains, fertile plains, beautiful trees and flowers, a wide variety of fruit (making delicious fruit drinks!), an abundance of natural resources, and, in areas away from the coast, a wonderful moderate climate. Her people are handsome and known for their hard work. From the perspective of those of us who live with short hot summers and long cold winters, this sure seems attractive doesn’t it? But wait, we aren’t done yet. Colombia – a land of drug cartels (notorious for supplying cocaine to much of the world), mind-numbing violence, millions of internally displaced people (IDP’s), corruption and grinding poverty. Sin of such a grievous nature has entered the garden of Colombia that it completely outweighs all her positive attributes. Is today’s Colombia a good place to live? In a word, “No.”

Colombia – historical and social context

Colombia is located in the northern region of South America. She was liberated from Spain by Simon Bolivar and celebrates July 20, 1810, as her independence day. Since then, Colombia has gone through two major civil wars and, in the last 40 years, almost continuous fighting between the country’s official military and rebel military groups such as FARC and M-19, drug cartels (remember Pablo Escobar?) and paramilitary groups. The groups range from left-wing Marxists to the right wing Drug Cartels. In the end, however, it is all about money and power.

Many government officials have been assassinated or kidnapped. Countless people have been murdered. Large sections of Colombia have been under the dominance of one or other of them since, until recently, the government had a minimal presence outside of the major cities. On our trip, we heard first-hand how it works. A group of armed men burst into a village and round everyone up. They then present a list of demands and brutally murder a few of the villagers right in front of everyone. The by now thoroughly terrorized villagers are told that they will die the same way if they don’t comply immediately with every demand. The villagers are then compelled to provide food, shelter and, worst of all, to give up their teenage children to serve in the armed group. After some months or years, another armed group takes over the area and does the same thing. The added complication is that those who obeyed the previous armed group are considered enemies and are often murdered. The result is millions of people fleeing the countryside to live on the edges of the major cities of Colombia in very dangerous, squalid, squatter zones. These are the internally displaced people (IDP) of Colombia. They are the people who desperately need our help.

When we visited the IDP areas, located on the mountain sides, we had security with us at all times. The local paramilitary groups impose a dusk to dawn curfew. Anyone outside after that is in grave danger of being shot. People who have work and can’t get back in time, creep back to their houses in fear for their lives. One night during our visit, over 15 children were murdered in one of the IDP areas.

The men are a major problem in Colombian society. They are, by and large, carefree, careless and irresponsible. All the homes we visited were led by women. Most had been abandoned by their husband or by multiple husbands. When men were present, we could tell by their attitudes that they felt no responsibility at all for the well-being of their family. One of the key objectives of CDA is to reverse this trend through teaching biblical role models to the sponsored children and their parents.

Colombia employs a republican form of government similar to that of the United States. The current president, Uribe, has increased the security of Colombia by strongly attacking the rebel groups and pushing them to remote areas of the country. He has also worked to reduce rampant corruption but has only achieved limited success. During our visit to Cartagena, a city of 1.1 million people located on the northern coast of Colombia, we were told that the local hospitals have closed since corrupt politicians have stolen all the money.

An estimated 90% of the 42 million people in Colombia are Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholic Church has resisted the growth of Protestant churches and groups. Over 60% of the country is very poor, living in squalid conditions. By and large, the plight of the poor is ignored or even exploited by the remaining 40%.

A quick primer on Word & Deed

Mission: The mission of Word & Deed is to improve the lives of needy people in the developing world both materially and spiritually in obedience to Christ’s command to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Strategy: The strategy employed is twofold: 1) To communicate the predicament of the suffering in the developing world to the people of North America such that they are given the opportunity to offer support in proportion to the Lord’s convicting power. 2) To partner with Christian organizations in the developing world on a wide variety of projects including child sponsorship, Christian education, orphan care, disaster relief and vocational training, while providing reliable monitoring and timely updates to all supporters.

Word & Deed does not own “bricks and mortar” or directly employ workers in the developing world. Rather than build an empire, Word & Deed’s objective is to help the people of the developing world help themselves. It is a ministry of empowerment.

Word & Deed insists that the Gospel must be central to every ordinary project (emergency relief being the exception) and that there be a focus on empowering each needy person to eventually provide for themselves in recognition of the dignity they have as God’s image bearers, having been created both to work and to worship.

CDA – Our Christian Partner Organization in Colombia

Some of our readers will be familiar with Missy Christie de Acosta who has spoken at various events in North America in the past. Her father, a missionary from New Zealand, came to Colombia in the 1970’s. He began his ministry by bringing food for both the body and the soul to those lying in the streets of Bogota. He then started some small Christian schools in the poor and dangerous areas of Bogota. When he died in 1994, Missy Christie took over the work. Today, CDA (translated from Spanish as Corporation God is Love), runs 4 large Christian schools, a vocational school, numerous medical clinics, and a home for abused girls.

What impressed me most about CDA is her commitment to the Gospel. The Gospel is central in the Christian schools, the medical clinics (no one gets treated without hearing the Gospel) the various support programs for the adults as well as the vocational school. Many people, with beaming faces, spoke to me about how God had graciously given them hope for both this life and the life to come.

The Projects

A point that was driven home repeatedly to me was that those who are in material need are open to the Gospel. When they see love in action, many for the first time in their lives, they are open to hearing that there is a Saviour who died for needy sinners. Word and deed need to accompany each other. Sadly, these two have been separated in the social services offered in North America and the result has been the indifferent darkness of unbelief. In Colombia however, the window of opportunity is still open.

Child Sponsorship Program ($35 CDN / $28 US per month)

Over 540 children of the 3000 currently attending the 4 CDA schools in Colombia are sponsored by Word & Deed supporters in North America (the rest are sponsored by Woord & Daad Holland). Each child receives a Christian education, at least one warm meal each school day, at least one new uniform per year as well as medical and dental services. It should be noted that normally only one child is sponsored per home, so 3000 families are impacted by this ministry.

Sponsoring a child makes a world of difference in their life. In many cases, God graciously blesses the Bible lessons taught each day to the eternal benefit of the child. I spoke with a number of the children who testified of their desire to glorify God in their lives even though they face challenges we have a hard time even imagining. Can you imagine being pressured by your mother and older sister to be a prostitute? Most come from broken homes characterized by violence, sin and poverty and would not even hear the Gospel otherwise.

Parents of children in the sponsorship program are required to attend seminars at the school. The seminars, which always include a Gospel message, teach the parents about proper family life, good hygiene and more.

We expect to have 170 new children to sponsor in the near future. Sponsor a child and change a life.

Girls’ Home – Tenjo (Budget for 2006: $80,000 CDN / $67,000 US)

Most of the sponsored children live at home, often in difficult circumstances. Over time, CDA has recognized that some of the young girls are victims of horrible abuse. These girls needed to be brought to a safe shelter. The home at Tenjo (pronounced Tenho), located in the countryside outside of Bogota, was built to be such a shelter. There are 60 young girls living there in a beautiful but simple set of structures. The large bedrooms house 15 girls each and each room has a “mother” sleeping in a slightly separated part of the room. Between each room is a large bathroom with showers etc. There is a large playroom with lots of books and toys.

Behind each smiling face is a tragic story. The girls range in age from 3 to 16 years of age.

Word & Deed has committed to 50% of the overall budget needed to run the home while Woord & Daad Holland provides the other 50%.

Please consider supporting this crucial program.

Helping Hands – Bogota & Cartagena

Budget for 2006: $33,800 CDN / $28,000 US for each location

Sometimes the families of children attending the school reach a crisis point when they have no food and don’t know where else to turn. Well, they can turn to the Helping Hands ministry of CDA which, if they qualify, will supply food for up to 3 months. The parents are required to attend seminars which focus on helping them get back on their feet. Each seminar is centered on a theme from God’s Word. Many parents have come to faith through these and other seminars related to the child sponsorship program. The benefits of the program only start with the children. Through their witness in the home and the seminars the parents attend, the benefits, with God’s blessing, extend far beyond the children themselves.

Help provide emergency aid to families in need by supporting this program.

Health Brigades – Bogota (Budget: $22,000 CDN / $18,250 US)

In addition to medical clinics connected to the schools run by CDA for the sponsored children, mobile clinics are held in various parts of the IDP squatter zones on a revolving basis. The people are unable to get medical attention otherwise. Ten Health Brigade mobile clinics have been held in the various IDP areas of Bogota this past year with plans for twelve next year. Tents are used to house doctors, dentists, hair dressers (trainees from the vocational school), and eye examiners. The first booth everyone must attend, though (they have cards that must be marked), is the Gospel booth.

By supporting this program, you can help demonstrate Christian love in action.

School of Practical Ministries (Budget: $16,400 CDN / $13,650 US)

The purpose of this program is to train CDA staff (school teachers, health care workers) as well as volunteers to provide their services from a Christian worldview with a constant concern for both body and soul. Staff members attend classes on Saturday mornings once per month.

By supporting this ministry, you are helping to equip those who are our hands and feet in Colombia to use both Word and deed as they help the needy people of Colombia.