Displaced population project...

ALTOS DE CAZUCA - SOACHA - COLOMBIA

- Towards a comprehensive development of people and community -

“The deprived, the weak and the marginalized are at the centre of our concerns and daily actions. It is necessary to protect the poor, and not to protect ourselves from the poor, that we must serve the weak and not take advantage of them"

(Pope Francis, 31 December 2014)

Province of Bogotá, Sr. Beatriz Alicia Charria Angulo.- In 1997, four sisters were sent off into the Province of Bogotá to form a community in the neighborhood of Sant Mateo-Soacha, where a new city for lower middle class was being built. However, over the course of the first year, we confirmed an urgent missionary call was to be right there, in the arid mountains bordering this town. A place with the highest number of displaced people from that country arriving constantly; in particular in the neighborhood of "El Arroyo", with plenty of poverty and marginalization.

St. Peter's Chapel

First steps

Our community work began with the formation of leaders, especially women who helped us find out and take care of the most urgent needs: firstly, a school, right after, a kindergarten, later on a dining room for adults, a Chapel... With such physical structures, and a close accompaniment work was when the start of the community emerged. It was not very easy in a surrounding where every neighbor is a potential "enemy". From the beginning, God let us meet generous people, altruistic foundations, other institutions which as soon as knowing the vulnerable situation of those areas as well as our deep effort to improve it, offered their economic support.

FUNDEHI establishment

The meeting with a group of laic people who were carrying out, right there, an interesting humanitarian work on behalf of the Diocese just like a strong sense of awareness towards our objectives, concerns and search, led us to set out the advantages of joining together. That is how in 2006, FUNDEHI -Corporation for holistic human development- was born. A group of dreamers with a business initiative, having their feet on the ground and hearts in the Gospel. Evidently, it was clear for everyone that only with an assistance program, integral development would never be promoted!!! From this perspective, we continued looking for a future progress on our community project.

OUR misSIOn TODAY

18 years have gone by since then and some of the first initiatives, such as the kindergarten, which is currently attended by 150 children, have suffered a significant change due to the fact that, these days, it is funded by the "Bienestar Familiar" institution. The school has turned into a place where different type of workshops are provided to the kids and young people in order to keep them busy in their free time: teambuilding days, sports, dances, music, art, systems. Dining rooms offer meals for about 40 adults and 110 children daily, as long as they take part in the workshops organized on Saturdays.

We have put a great deal of effort into fostering in a productive way, a group of "mothers, head of the family", throughout a biscuit and chocolate micro firm called "Corazones de Cazucá". Its organization, manufacturing process, quality control, care and creativity to make them attractive have been worth a commercial support and use by companies, education centers, in a response to their corporate social responsibility.

Sisters Beatriz Alicia and María Leonor with a group of mothers

Spiritual dimension has always had a very important place in our project. In this work, apart from the sisters, we have also counted on the commitment of Dominican friars, some laic and university students, students of Santo Tomás University, who promote and take adults and young people to missionary encounters, in some cases, purely vocational. Sacramental Catechism as well as "God's word from life" and the biblical group are already guided by people of the same community, who have been developing personally and professionally over the years.

To think about...

Going ahead with a project demands having an eye, hearing and heart fully open to discover the urgent needs around us and decide to be fellow men for the brothers God sends along our way.
Acting with determination and creativity wanting to set up alliances, look for resources, find out human potential among the same people we work with.
Placing ourselves with humbleness, respect and prudence in front of the people and communities we are walking along with so that they are eventually able to become managers of their own development process.
Helping them find suitable resources to achieve their integral development, without feeling they are dependent on paternalistic assistance: "Don´t give them a fish, but teach them to fish".