Bringing Hope to 10 Families in Medellin, Colombia

Dear Friends of Comuna 13,

I hope this message finds you well and that 2015 is so far bringing good health, happiness and prosperity to you!

With August right around the corner we are getting excited here in Medellín for La Fería de las Flores. The fería is emblematic of the ‘Paisa’ (regional) culture and is celebrated for 10 magical days across the whole city. There are about 130 events throughout the barrios (neighbourhoods) of Medellín, including live music competitions and shows, horse fairs, and a number of the most spectacular flower parades. The excitement is palpable in the city and I for one certainly can’t wait for the festivities to begin!

We are currently working on a resource allocation mini-project with the Bringing Hope beneficiaries. By working with them to reassess their needs according to their changing business situations, we will be able to better define how the donation funds can be spent in the most effective way.

Whilst the assessment is getting underway, I’d like to take this opportunity to present to you another one of the Comuna 13 beneficiaries - Margarita Maria Echandía.

María, whose business is called ‘Manualidades MyM’, makes handmade jewelry and accessories that she sells to distributors in the city centre. María only had one client when she started her small business 21 years ago, making ribbon flowers with her sister. As the years went on, María’s business expanded to more diversified products, a larger production team and a wider client base. She built a network through recommendations by word of mouth and has had to continue diversifying her products to keep up with demand – although her most popular product is still the original ribbon roses.

Three years ago María discovered she had a tumor in her brain. It was, imaginably, an incredibly difficult time for María and her family, as she provides for not only her own children, but also helps care for her parents, nieces and nephews. Thankfully with the help of her God and support of her family María survived was able to continue working.

María lives for the enjoyment, and creative and emotional outlet that her work brings her and now is hoping to invest in a specialised machine to increase her output. To further diversify and strengthen her business she has also started making handmade chocolates for special occasions.

We hope, with your help, to give María the financial means to grow the wonderful business she has already started. She has shown amazing courage, tenacity and huge dedication to an occupation that she obviously loves.

As donations continue to come in we will keep you updated on María’s progress.

As ever, we are incredibly grateful for the contributions that you make and would love to hear from you with any questions or comments.

So until next time, take care!