Andres lives with his father and his mother. His father is employed and his mother maintains the home. Andres works at home running errands and cleaning. There are 2 children in the family.
Andres is not attending school because he is too young. Soccer, playing with cars and telling stories are his favorite activities. He also attends church activities and Bible class regularly.
Please remember Andres in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.
Andres lives in the coastal community of Simón Bolivar, home to approximately 4,200 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors, brick walls and tin roofs.
The regional diet consists of maize, bananas, chicken, fish, beef, plantains, rice and potatoes. Common health problems in this area include respiratory infections, malnutrition, classic dengue, skin diseases and flu. Most adults in Simón Bolivar work in domestic services and earn the equivalent of $116 per month. This community needs schools, employment opportunities and recreational centers.
Your sponsorship allows the staff of CDI Betel to provide Andres with Bible classes, medical and dental checkups, sports, birthday celebrations, personal development workshops, skills for life and academic support. The center staff will also provide family counseling, literacy classes and parents' school for the parents or guardians of Andres.
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: Southwest of Santa Marta
