Give at-risk Colombian children a safe home

Do you believe in coincidences? Or even better, in destiny? Well, I just have the most amazing story to tell you. The day I started my internship at the Fundación Niños de los Andes, my boss told me everything they do for the kids. She told me about every house they have, the amount of kids they help, and some of their successful projects. I thought I was going to be able to see that with my own eyes in the following days, as I got more involved with the foundation. Surprisingly, I didn’t need a few days to see that. The exact same day, when I left the Foundation and took a taxi, I got hit with an amazing coincidence. The taxi driver, with a big smile on his face and a nostalgic tone told me “I haven’t been here in quite a while”. I immediately asked if he have worked in the foundation, and he replied with a “No, I lived in one of their houses with my brother for 3 years”. Then he started to tell me his story.

They were teenagers living on the streets, who needed a place to stay, when they arrived at the foundation. There they had a place to eat, to study, to play, and most importantly, a place to find their dreams, set their goals, and make their first steps to follow those goals. Very proud, he told me “I left the Foundation being a baker. I’m now driving a taxi, but I’m currently saving money to create my own Baking Store”.

The next following days, as I got more involved I could see what the taxi driver told me. With the help of a group of Industrial Design students, the Foundation created two projects during the second term of 2016. The first one called “Healthy art”, in which the kids learned to develop pieces whose main base is the weaving (cup holders, keychains and jewelry). They also got engaged in the development of their own brand: artesano.  On the other hand, they created the “If you dream it you’ll make it” project, which is the appropriation an implementation of a diary of dreams as part of the daily living of the kids and teenagers. With these projects the Foundation allowed spaces to enrich the proccesses of these kids and teeangers, through an innovative and avant-garde look, obtained from the industrial design.

Now, I could realize the great impact the Foundation have on these kids. They, not only give them food, a house and education. They teach them things that they can do when they leave the Foundation. The taxi driver left the Foundation being a baker, and now he is following that dream. One of these kids, may leave the foundation as a craftsman, and hopefully, as another coincidence, this kid could share his story with another intern, another person, or even better, with the world. I know the Foundation is immensely grateful with each one of their donors. Without you, the Foundation wouldn’t be able to help as many kids as they are now helping. With your donations, this year they were able to buy better materials, learning elements and didactic resources for these projects, and with that, to let the kids find their talents.

With that being said, I finish my report with a few words from the project leader: “We could now tell you that in 2016 we helped in our residential programs approximately 1412 kids and teenagers. This achievement we got, is also yours, since last year we got more Global Givers involved and we raised, thanks to your donations, 11,796 USD. Thanks to our fundraising efforts and your generous response, GlobalGiving gave us a badge as a “Top-Ranked organization” in 2016, that validates the suitability of our work and supports the trust you have placed on us”.