Juan lives with his father and his mother. His duties at home include making beds, running errands and cleaning. There are 2 children in the family. His father is employed and his mother maintains the home.
Soccer, walking and playing group games are Juan's favorite activities. In high school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities, Bible class and Vacation Bible School.
Please remember Juan in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.
Juan lives in the coastal community of Barrio Olaya Herrera, home to approximately 76,400 residents. Typical houses are constructed of dirt floors, wood walls and corrugated iron roofs.
The regional diet consists of beans, eggs, bread and fish. Common health problems in this area include malnutrition, intestinal disorders, skin infections and influenza. Most of the adults in Barrio Olaya Herrera are unemployed but some work as street market vendors and earn the equivalent of $118 per month. This community needs schools, paved roads, a sewage system and vocational training.
Your sponsorship allows the staff of Estrella Student Center to provide Juan with Bible teaching, medical care, vaccinations, sports, birthday celebrations, academic reinforcement, English courses and music training. The center staff will also provide workshops for the parents or guardians of Juan.
Surrounded by the Andes Mountains, Colombia's terrain ranges from the cooler highlands to the tropical coast along the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Vast stretches of lowlands east of the mountains are thinly populated and only partially explored.
Two of Colombia's main exports are coffee and oil, though drug trafficking is a serious problem. About 73 percent of the population is urban, and most Colombians are Catholic. The racial makeup includes mestizos (Spanish and Native American), Europeans, those of black and white ancestry, and those of black and Native American ancestry. Spanish is the official language. Compassion works in Colombia's most populated northern regions.
Since its liberation from Spain in the early 19th century, Colombia has violently struggled to find its identity. In 1886, Colombia established its first constitution, which was modified and updated in 1991. The document established the basic present-day government structure consolidating the central government, ending rivalries among political factions, and creating the oldest democracy in Latin America. Yet peaceful coexistence among the multiethnic and multiparty groups in this country remains elusive. Despite a growing sense of confidence in the economy helped in part by a free trade agreement with the United States, Colombia resides in a perpetual state of political and social turmoil. Warring factions have battled for control since independence. Thousands of political figures have been massacred, and paramilitary groups that formed have installed a legacy of terrorism that ravages the country today. The National Front brought a measure of stability in the 1960s, but for all the gains made, Colombia is still plagued by political corruption, drug wars, guerrilla activity and terrorist violence.
Map of Colombia
Child's Location: Northeast Cartagena
