Tearfund walk - April 19th 2013 - at Shanes Castle.
This year, with the sun shining, some 350 people enjoyed the 5K walk on the beautiful Shanes Castle estate.

With your generous help we will support the following children's project in Colombia, South America.

Overview

Partner: Red Viva Colombia

Location: Barranquilla and Cartagena

Purpose: In order to prevent crime, drug addiction, and early pregnancy among young people living in poor areas of Barranquilla and Cartagena, Red Viva will work with church leaders and children’s workers over 3 years to promote a healthy environment for child development through sport clubs, with emphasis on moral values.

Impact: Over 3 years, 600 children who were in situations of risk in Colombia will become secure and will be given development opportunities. A further 200 church members will benefit indirectly from this project.

 The Need

The main cities in Colombia are home to thousands of people displaced from the countryside during the years of conflict; many of whom have no option but to live in marginal areas with few amenities and which are prone to landslides or flooding. Unemployment and underemployment are high, leading many to seek work in the ‘informal sector’. Family disintegration is common.

Young people and adolescents from marginal areas of the cities are exposed to many risks including enrolment into illegal armed groups, violence, injury, death, drug and alcohol addiction, teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, family breakdown, domestic violence and natural disasters. Their families often cannot provide fully for their needs and some suffer from malnutrition.

There is therefore a significant need for intervention in Colombia at a grass roots level - one that will lead to a positive and lasting change in the lives of the young and vulnerable.

Meet the Partner

Red Viva Colombia is a Christian Non-Governmental Organisation committed to improving the lives of children and families at risk in Colombia. Their work includes awareness raising, advocacy and the facilitation, training and accompaniment of a network of local churches and childcare initiatives. The organisation was established in 2000 and works in 5 Colombian cities.

Project Activities

Building on experience already gained, this three year project (Jan 2012 – Dec 2014) will work with church leaders and children’s workers to provide training, support and opportunities for personal development for vulnerable young people.  It encourages the different groups to work together for the benefit of children and families in their communities. In order to achieve this, Red Viva will be carrying out the following activities with carefully selected churches and local communities over the next 3 years:

1.    Relationship building

In each city, strong relationships will be established with church leaders and the leaders of childcare initiatives committed to child protection and development supporting sport club initiatives.

2.    Sports clubs

20 sports clubs will be developed in Barranquilla and 10 in Cartagena. Every sports club will be strengthened and empowered by a series of weekly workshops focused not only on sports but on leadership, bible studies and Christian values and lifestyle.

3.    Workshops and training

Two week-long workshops and monthly day-long workshops will be held each year for the general church membership. These will include training in the Children and Adolescents Code and Child Protection Policies.  A self-evaluation tool will be provided for children’s workers to use in order to identify areas where they need strengthening. They will subsequently receive training in these areas in order to aid their personal development and hence improve their childcare strategies.

4.    Sports league

A sports league will be established in every city to develop tournaments between the sports clubs. Sports activities will run once or twice each week, with a 5 month tournament running from July each year. At the end of the three years a Christian Football Championship will be developed between 5 cities in Colombia.

Budget

The entire cost of the work being carried out in the 2^nd year of this project (Jan - Dec 2013) is £55,698. £15,000 has already been paid towards Year 2 hence Tearfund is seeking to raise a further £40,698. Below are the costs relating to the 2^nd year of the project. Note, Year 1 had the same budget and Year 3’s budget will increase to £70,000.

ITEM	TOTAL (£)
Activities & materials	22,500
Personnel	6,500
Sports field improvement	10,000
Transport	1,000
Admin Assistant	4,200
Regional trips	3,800
Administration	2,000
Total	50,000
Funding already raised	(15,000)
*UK Admin & Central Coordination Costs	5,698
TOTAL REQUIRED	40,698

Stories of Transformation

We hope you will be encouraged by this amazing story of physical, spiritual and emotional transformation as much as we have been.

For the first time in his life, Luis (aged 9) realized that the river close to his home could be not only his friend but also a destructive force that could destroy lives – and almost destroyed his house.

Last November, the Magdalena River flooded the small town where Luis lives, destroying houses and leaving poor families without their basic belongings.

As a result, Luis and his friends found themselves depressed and without any vision or hope for their lives. Some of his friends migrated with their families to other places leaving Luis feeling incredibly lonely; it was like his whole world had ended.

Due to the circumstances Luis found himself in, he did not want to return to school for the new year (in Colombia the school year begins in January or the first week of February). Without his friends, school simply wasn’t the fun place it used to be.

However, Luis heard about a new project in the school - “Sports for Life”, and decided to go and have a look one Saturday. He was surprised that children he had never met before were so friendly and allowed him to train with them. Trainers invited him to be part of a team; they also spoke about the possibility of having new dreams and hope in life and taught him about building a personal relationship with God.

The coach shared Radamel Falcao’s (a famous Colombian football player) testimony with the children. Radamel is an Evangelical Christian and a living example that God can make dreams come true. After hearing the story, Luis decided to receive Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour.

Now, Luis cannot wait to go to school every day! He is working hard to get the best marks in order to get a place in the team representing the school in a local football championship. He has had a second chance in life!  

Thank you for taking the time to consider this project and for your continued support and prayer concerning Tearfund’s work.