My connection to Colombia begins with my parents. They immigrated from Colombia at different times – my mother as a young girl with her mom and brother, and my father as a young man, alone. I only knew the country through music and stories. Though I tried to convince my mother to travel with me to her home country, she refused, fearing the violence and wanting to keep her childhood home as she preserved it in her memories. As I traveled to Colombia later in life, I came to know my ancestral land through the city of Soacha. First as a volunteer, and now as a Board member, my connection is embedded in this community.
Many of the residents in Soacha moved there to escape the civil war, and to be closer to the capital city of Bogotá, where they would have a better chance of finding work and services. In more recent years, people arrived from Venezuela, where jobs and food have been in scarce supply due to the political and economic situation in their home country.
In addition to supporting infrastructure projects like building a stairway to connect two neighborhoods and building a water collection system, BTA is honored to invest in human capital by providing financial support to individuals completing their high school degrees. One scholarship recipient is Carlos, who moved back to Colombia from Venezuela with his wife and children. He is a construction worker but cannot secure a permanent employment contract without his high school diploma. Another scholar is Yeimmy, who is taking an entrepreneurship class as part of her high school studies, with the goal of opening her own mani/pedi business to support herself and her children. Then there is Ivonne, who wishes to complete high school as a step towards becoming a nurse. These students are full of hope and courage on their journeys. We are so proud of them!
Click on the “Donate today” button to join us in supporting these scholars and projects in their hometown.
Sara Fairfoot
Board member
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