Empower 100 vulnerable Colombian families

In 2015 the, “Empower 100 Vulnerable Colombian Families Project,” helped to strengthen the technical capacity of 50 local government and NGO professionals working to better the quality of life of vulnerable Colombian families. A pilot intervention was executed with 25 vulnerable families in the Las Tres Cruces neighborhood in Santa Marta, Colombia. These families are living under extreme poverty conditions, and are victims of the migration caused by violence.

On October 2015 the results of the experience with these families was presented. The results showed that these families increased their abilities in family dialogue and self-control. Domestic violence also decreased and the parents along with their children started the “Life Project” process.

With the empowering of these families it was possible to show the community a better way to care for kids without aggression or violence, and to make sure that the door to dialogue was kept open in order to resolve conflicts that had to do with decision making. Some testimonies of the kids:

 “My parents started to talk with me. They stop hitting me, with dialogue they started to trust me!”

 “Well, now there is a lot of communication in the family, we can now enjoy time in the family. The problems we have we now resolved them by dialogue and there’s a lot of harmony now.”

 “My mother now talks to me, and she doesn’t hit me anymore…”

 “… We now share together, we play, we have dinner together, and everything change for the better in the house”

 According to James Heckman (literature Nobel Prize winner), poverty starts with bad parenting and a lack of care for children. Good parental care is basic for the development of happy human beings and is much more important than money. Family care is crucial for the construction and nature of emotional ties. Having healthy emotional ties is the most important element for an adult to be a positive part of a society, work, and be a role-model citizen.

With the experience acquired through this first pilot, the Kidsave foundation wishes to continue building on its proven successful work in this part of the country. To accomplish this goal we are seeking the financial support of cooperative associations and passionate donors like you that want to help an additional 100 families in the neighborhood (Las Tres Cruces) of the city of Santa Marta.

Our project nurtures a process of formation, accompaniment and a rigorous systematization. This systematization allows for the understanding of the conditions of these families and for the registrations of successful practices so that our successes can be replicated for all the families that live in Las Tres Cruces and the other regions of Colombia.

Thank you so much for your support of these vulnerable families and for sharing our story with your friends, families, and social networks.

We want to wish you a very happy and healthy 2016!  

Links:

• Kidsave Website
• Kidsave Colombia Webpage

After providing training in the “Familia Activa” program to families in the Las Tres Cruces neighborhood, the Kidsave Colombia Foundation conducted house-to-house follow-up visits. Families received 2 or 3 visits.These visits were carried out to record changes in family perceptions centered on caring for their children in terms of family linkages, family dialogue, life projects and a willingness to participate in family networks.

As Blanca, a community leader and partner of the Kidsave Colombia Foundation said, “The family empowerment program has enabled families to improve their relationships and has created awareness against domestic violence and child abuse.  Also families have started to build shared ‘Vision of life’ projects together.”

The results of the follow-up conversations show significant changes in the perception of:

• Self - Parents now strive to understand their children and use dialogue to solve issues.
• Tolerance – Parents reported that they now have learned to both value and respect differences of opinion.
• Fun – Parents now incorporate their children into planning how to have fun together.
• Participation – Parents are now much more open to participating in family networks and see the value of joining with the Community Action Board and the Church.

•       Sharing – Parents now strive to build a shared vision of their family life project. Together the family sets goals, identifies strategies in order to achieve these goals, and determine what resources they will need in order to improve their family life. 

The survey results showed that the training has had a positive impact and has generated changes in family life, relationships, and the overall welfare of the children. Leaders of the community are writing a petition to the new elected Major of the ciy to approve this program in all the vulnerable communities. For these reasons it is important to support the project “Empower Program Colombian Displaced Families in Santa Marta”, which promotes children growing up in a more healthy and nurturing family environment. It is thanks to you, the donor that we are able to pursue our important work. Gracias!

Links:

• The Kidsave Colombia page