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| SOS Children's Villages Cartagena, Colombia |
December 7, 2011: The November 18 opening of the seventh SOS Children’s Village in Cartagena,
Colombia gives SOS a presence in a city where 40 percent of the populations lives below the poverty line.
Cartagena de Indias is widely known as a lovely, historic Caribbean city on Colombia’s northern coast that is a tourist destination. Although it is one of Colombia’s safest cities, many of Cartagena’s residents face extreme poverty.
Life is especially challenging for the 40,000 internally displaced people living in the southern parts of the city. These residents, victims of the ongoing conflict among Colombia’s army, paramilitary, and guerilla forces, have inadequate access to health care and quality education. Within this unfortunate group, 40 percent are children under age 14. Many of them lack protection against violence, abuse, and exploitation.
Forty-nine children whose parents are unable to care for them are now living in seven warm family homes within the SOS-Cartagena community. Eventually, SOS will be able to accommodate 126 children.
The SOS Children’s Village in Cartagena
The new SOS Children’s Village in Cartagena is the first located in the region of Bolivar. Its programs and facilities will increase the number of children and families SOS reaches in Colombia, where more than 6,500 children across the country already participate in SOS Social Programs.
Unlike the more typical model in which SOS constructs new homes in one area, SOS-Cartagena is fully integrated. This means that SOS purchased already existing houses in the city and adapted them to the special needs of SOS families. These SOS homes are located in the Cartagena districts of Los Laureles, Los Corales, and Nueva Esperanza.
The official opening of SOS-Cartagena was made possible with the support of a group of Swiss sponsors. The November 18th ceremony was attended by donor representatives, local government officials, SOS local and regional directors, community members, and, of course, the SOS children and SOS Mothers excited to begin their new lives.
The emotional highlight of the event was provided by the director of SOS-Colombia, who acknowledged the first seven SOS Mothers of SOS-Cartagena. In her speech, Angela Maria Rosales referred to the tree that symbolizes the welcoming environment the mothers are asked to create for their children. Just as a seed needs soil to grow, she said, SOS Mothers need to carefully nurture their children in order to create strong individuals with bright futures.
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