Empower 40 Colombian kids in extreme poverty

Dear Friends,

here we are with some updates on the project we want to support in Tunja, Colombia. In this city stands “Hogar San Jeronimo”, a centermanaged by our local partner, the Congregation of the Somaschi Fathers. The Congregation has been working in the Country for more than 50 years. Near the Center, Somaschi Fathers manage “San Jeronimo Emiliani Institute”, a school attended by more than 1.500 students from primary to high school. All the students take part in classes every morning or every afternoon during the week.

In extracurricular leisure time children and teenagers are most of the time at risk because they do not have the chance to study and play in a safe place. They often spent their free time in the streets, exposed to crime and violence. That’s why our local partner wants to provide more recreational-educational opportunities to the students of the institute.

In particular, Somaschi Fathers want to restart all the extracurricular courses that were organized more than 4 years ago. These courses are aimed at improving the inclusion and wellbeing of the most vulnerable students of the Institute and providing vocational training in occupational activities (e.g. carpenter or electrician). The students are referred by social services and often, due to very difficult family situations, suffer from psychological problems. For this reason, the project envisages the involvement of a psychologist to overcome trauma.

Thanks to all the people that have decided to donate to this project here on GlobalGiving and thanks to an important donation received from a private Italian donor, Aleimar will be able to reopen these courses and provide all necessary equipment. This is a great goal reached by the partners.

In October our country managers and Aleimar’s staff will fly to Colombia in order to monitor the beginning of the activities in order to restart all the courses in the first months of 2025. Don’t miss our future updates!

Thank you for your precious support!

Dear Donors,

In January our country representatives Andrea and Rosanna flew to Colombia to monitor the Hogar San Geronimo project which aims to improve the psychological and living conditions of 40 children and teenagers.

The Hogar San Geronimo center in Tunja is partly financed by the school fees of the institutes managed by our local partner, Somaschi Fathers. During the trip, Andrea and Rosanna met Father Carlos, a key figure of the association with which we collaborate on-site, who showed his concern regarding a high increase in prices that is occurring in the country. Due to this increase, many parents cannot afford to pay their children's school fees. As a result, fewer funds will be available that can be reinvested to finance the Hogar San Geronimo center.

Andrea and Rosanna reported an increasingly worrying territorial overview regarding poverty and crime during the monitoring trip, especially in the capital. Bogotá has always had a complex history with crime, which has been influenced by various factors, including drug trafficking, poverty, economic inequality and internal armed conflict. In recent years, there have been significant deteriorations in security levels. Colombian youth have been forced to live with forms of crime since childhood. Some of the main concerns include theft, robbery, drug trafficking and extortion. In 2023, 147,666 robberies were committed in Bogotá out of the 364,531 that occurred across the country - positioning the capital as one of the Latin American cities with the highest crime rate.

Due to growing crime, it is increasingly important to keep Colombian children and teenagers off the streets. By supporting our project, you will guarantee 40 kids a protected place to stay where they will receive psycho-social support and education for a better future!

Thanks for your help!