The School of our Dreams

Dear friends and supporters,

Over the last couple months our community of donors has grown to nearly a hundred and we can't be more thankful, especially now that not only COVID but the social burst in Colombia have made things harder for schools to run normally.

The National Strike in Colombia started on April 29th and it last almost two months. With it came a social burst that ended in violence from both protesters and the Police and later on danger in the streets. Siloé, our neighborhood, was one of the epicenters of the manifestations so our children and their families had to make it through nights of shootings, robberies, tear gases, lockdowns and more. With the help of our group of psychologysts and volunteers we provided emergency attention to children and teachers in order to cope with the emotional burden of the moment. Thank God we were able to overcome and now the children are back at school enjoying the opportunity to share with friends and learn.

In the meantime we started the program to teach English in the youth prisons of Cali. It has been such a powerful project to help youth find their voice through the chance they are given to learn another language. None of them have finished high school and some are just learning how to read and write. Interaction in class helps them to become better communicators, team workers and fairer players. We firmly believe that all they need is a second chance to realize they can do way more than just crime. This work inspires us even more to continue to work with our children at the school because we can prevent from an early age that a child falls in the traps of poverty that could lead them to jail.

Our children prepared a beautiful song by singer Martha Gómez, dedicated to Colombia and our peace. Enjoy the song and the pictures that as usual we love to share with you.

Best regards,

Teacher Lily 

Links:

• Un Canto por Colombia by the children of Siloe