Physical Health Colombia Project #33298

Healthy food classes and training in Medellin

by Fundacion Via Cocina

Healthy food classes and training in Medellin

Project Report | Jul 11, 2022
Let the sun shine in!

By Brian | Project Leader

filming for singaporean tv

Hola! This week we've finally had some sunny, warm days in Medellin. The city and country in general has been suffering from an extended rainy season: the first dry season of the year never appeared, and it's been wet since October of last year, which has caused all sorts of challenges and disasters. Here at Via Cocina, the gardens have had a tough time getting restarted with all the rain, but we do have some plants finally sprouting which is something to look forward to!

I was recently contacted by a tourism guide who had come here with his colleagues a few years back for their year end celebration (with a delicious cooking class). He had fond memories of the experience with us, and wanted to include us in the itinerary for a Singaporean tv filming crew, who visit different countries that have overcome a challenging history and have new positive stories to share. That sounded perfect to us, and we were very happy to spend a day participating in the filming with a cooking class onsite, and an interview sharing our story too. And as an added bonus, we were able to invite a couple of our community project participants who have been here since our first cooking class. We had been in contact, but hadn't seen them in over two and a half years, so it was super nice to see some happy enthusiastic faces taking notes as we cooked away!

I hope that this brings us even closer to starting up our regular activities again; there are a couple more repairs to be done (thanks to all the rain), and once I have them in order, we are truly looking forward to seeing more of our colleagues in the project space learning and laughing with us.

Thanks for your support!

Brian

Karen teaching traditional arepas on the rooftop

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Mar 14, 2022
Let the activities (slowly) begin!

By Brian | Project Leader

Nov 21, 2021
Help Colombia update from La Guajira and more!

By Brian Johnston | Project Leader

Testing out a new bike

We have some great news to share: after 4 long months of fundraising via social networks and activities in Medellin, and thanks to so many generous donations, Help Colombia was able to head to the North Eastern desert of Bahia Hondita in the Guajira and put more than just a smile on the local community's faces!

With the help of 8 volunteers, 60 heavy duty bicycles were delivered and donated so that the local children can reduce the 2-4 hour walk from home to school and back each day. They will also be able to use the bikes for transport of water and other basic necessities that consumed a lot of time under the blazing heat. This also gives them more time to earn a quality education, and to help further with that, their school was donated 10 tablets, and Help Colombia will be providing ongoing support for maintenance of these donations.

In addition to the bikes and tablets, 100 families received a donation of groceries with a nutritional balance, and the children received uniforms, backpacks and snacks during the bicycle ceremony too.

This project was an amazing experience for all involved, and it doesn't stop here: the Help Colombia foundation has now been approved on the GlobalGiving platform, so if you'd like to continue supporting their inspiring work and/or get in contact with them directly, I've included links below to their GlobalGiving page and the foundation's website. You'll find all types of activities there benefitting vulnerable communities in Medellín and beyond, as they work to build a more equitable and sustainable future for youth and adults who are often left behind.

Thanks again for your generous support!

Brian, on behalf of the Help Colombia team

reception

Showing off their new backpacks

Links:

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