Understanding Colombia

Facts about Colombia and poverty in this South American nation

Situated in the northwestern corner of South America, Colombia is rich in natural beauty, comprising rugged Andean mountains, lowland plains, sprawling Amazon rainforest and coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Archeological evidence suggests that humans have called this land home for thousands of years. Its modern history begins at the end of the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus and the first Spanish explorers arrived in the region, subsequently establishing the area’s […]

A New Lease on Life in Colombia

Two of our sponsored children moved out of a dangerous living situation thanks to our volunteer coordinator

Last year, Children Incorporated Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and Director of Development, Shelley Callahan, visited our affiliated project, the Centro de Orientacion, in Manizales, Colombia. During their trip, they met with a family of two of our sponsored children who were living in a difficult and dangerous situation — and one from which they desperately wanted to escape. “The home was in terrible condition. The children showed us a hole in the floor […]

Valuable Lessons Learned in Manizales

Mothers of children at Centro de Orientación are teaching their children about the importance of education

For our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and me, our trip to Colombia ended in Manizales, where we visited the last of our three affiliated projects in the country, Centro de Orientación. Established by an order of nuns, Centro de Orientación functions as a community center to rehabilitate mothers who have fallen victim to the ravages of poverty, often having no other choice than to work on the streets of Manizales to make money. […]

Transforming Mothers in Medellín

Centro Primavera in Colombia offers many different programs to help women who need support

When our Director of International Programs, Luis Bourdet, and I first arrived in Medellín, Colombia, I noticed a striking difference from our visit to the capital city of Bogotá. Unlike many other cities that I have visited in South America, Medellín’s level of poverty and destitution was present even in the most well-off areas of town. As we drove from the airport to downtown Medellín, I was surprised to see homeless people living on the […]

Changing Lives through Garment Making in Colombia

At the Rondon Center, mothers of sponsored children generate income at Creaciones Miquelina

Situated in the northwestern corner of South America, Colombia is rich in natural beauty, comprising rugged Andean mountains, lowland plains, sprawling Amazon rainforest and coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. Its modern history begins at the end of the fifteenth century, when Christopher Columbus and the first Spanish explorers arrived in the region, subsequently establishing the area’s first successful Spanish settlement in 1508. Spanish colonization continued for over 400 years until […]

Sponsorship in South America

Everything you need to know about sponsoring a child in South America through Children Incorporated

We work in many South American countries including Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Colombia. Through sponsorship, we help provide children with food, clothing, school supplies, and hygiene items. We also fund feeding programs and support unsponsored children through our Shared Hope Fund. In addition, we fund tutoring programs and the construction of schools, as well as skill training programs. Information about the countries where we work South America is full of beauty, but it […]