Give at-risk Colombian children a safe home

During 2015 the Fundacion Ninos de los Andes has strived to keep firmly the patient fight against the situation of street living of thousands of children in Colombia. Thanks to the generous donations that you make through Globalgiving’s platform, we have managed to provide tools to put an end to such serious situation. However the problem is still a big one. The number of young people and adolescents who consume psychoactive substances in our country has increased considerably since 2008. According to a study by the Observatory of drugs of Colombia it was increased from 2.74% in 2008 to 3.6% of the total population in 2013.

From the 2.414 youth admitted for the Foundation emergency centres during 2014, 93.2% of them presented use of psychoactive substances and 18% of them presented street situation. The preferred substances of teenagers are marijuana, glue, “perico”, pills and “bazuco”, demonstrating that they consume more than one psychoactive substance at a time. From all the teens attended, 1.444 were referred to therapeutic communities for specialized treatment of addictions and 44 were reinstated to their family environment, prior awareness work to families about proper management to avoid a relapse.

This invites us to reflect and to think in new ways to combat this phenomenon which hits all social classes in Colombia and gradually consumes the essence and the future of our society that is our young people. Through interventions that are made in Casa Corazones and Albachiara, the Fundacion Ninos de los Andes daily helps children and young people to get out of these addictions and become good members of society. Sessions of yoga, reading spaces, educational cinema forums and cardiovascular gymnastics routines, directed by the psychosocial team and workshop specialist, help to control withdrawal and anxiety by consuming that these teens present at their recovery terms.

The Foundation spends a good portion of its budget on materials and therapies to manage children's free time, since they remain in the house, they aren't going to school and we must help them with therapeutic activities 24 hours a day.

Dear Globalgiving friends:

We wish you the best 2015 full of love, health and success in all your works and commitments. Papá Jaime and all the staff send you a big big New Year hug. This time, we will post a very short report just to thank you for being part of our dream.
Over the last 3 years you have provided essential support and funding to help rescue children living on the streets in Colombia and to protect those who still remain there. Your generous donations have allowed us to take more children off the streets into the safe environment of the Foundation’s homes, provide the possibility for more children in the homes to go to school and provide food and clothing to children who come to us with nothing. Thanks to your support we can also reach out to more children still living on the streets and provide them with a safe day time environment whilst their parents are out working, and essentially give these children love and support and help them to build a better future for themselves. We are extremely grateful for your support over the last 3 years and hope that you feel willing and able to continue to support our work in the future.
The end of the year was fantastic for the children and of course for the foundation. We had so many important companies like Energizer, Cinnabon, Amway, Hilti, Corona, Coltanques, Accenture, Banco Sudameris, Montachem, Mother Care, Frisby, Biostoscana ,Envia Colvanes, Hotel Sofitel and many more celebrating Christmas time in our homes and giving presents, snacks and love to every kid. With your kind help and the fantastic support of these companies we were able to give the kids an unforgettable Christmas that they never had. The kids sang and danced and had a wonderful party with surprises, presents and Christmas foods as a special treat. This shows how many kind donors and friends continue to trust us and support our work in helping Colombia’s most deprived children.
We hope this year will bring better opportunities for the children and more people to join our cause.

Links:

• Let us share with you a very nice Christmas celebration.