October 2020 update

For more detailed news about IMC please sign up to our newsletter. The following is a brief summary of the situation as it stands at the end of October 2020.

October 2020

The total number of Covid-19 deaths in Colombia has now succeeded 31,000.

Our partners in Colombia have reported how sad and painful it is to see children on the streets, mainly Venezuelan refugees and migrants. Sad not only physically speaking, because they have nowhere to sleep, nowhere to live and nothing to eat, but also to see the hopelessness in their eyes, their dull faces and a deep sadness. There are girls and boys who have come over to Colombia unattended in groups with friends or cousins. They have even come across girls whose mothers sent them over to Colombia with a neighbour because they considered them better off there than starving in their country of origin.

La Guajira

• There have been several cases of sexual exploitation of Wayuu girls during lockdown; the crime of trafficking girls for the purposes of sexual and domestic exploitation, in which third parties agree to capture, transport and host Wayuu girls and women, in order to deliver them for sexual purposes in exchange for money. There are girls who have been locked up in houses of smaller towns with a pimp charging money for men to come in and exploit them. This does so much damage not only emotionally, but also mentally, because such young girls can’t cope and don’t want to go on living.
• We were able to support more Families in the church of Majayure, reaching 60 families.
• Groceries were distributed to 31 families in Rancheria El Brasil.

Fusa

• Through our 'comedor' dining room programme we continued to reach more families with spiritual support and food.
• At the end of the month IMC Colombia distributed school packs with sweets and biscuits to encourage children to stay at home and study. They continue to encourage children to finish their school year despite the difficulties they have faced in studying this year.

Bogota

• Due to unemployment that forces more families to take to the streets to work in informal jobs, insecurity and deaths have continued to increase.
• IMC continues to work in partnership with the Aposento Alto Church, families in the Ciudad Bolivar neighbourhood and with Venezuelan Immigrant Families, as they struggle in this time of crisis due to unemployment and lack of opportunity.

General news from IMC Colombia

• One of the families IMC supports has started a Venezuelan bread business and are encouraged that it will be a good source of income for their family.
• One of the boys who lived in Granja Peniel is now grown up and lives in Cali with his wife and two children. He studied topography and thanks to the support of IMC Colombia he has now been able to start his own business in environmental engineering
• IMC Colombia was able to meet their October goal to reach more families in the different programmes.
• The spiritual support provided in each of the Programmes, in alliance with the pastors who support the charity, has helped to improve the mental and emotional health of the families and children.
• Please pray for the safety of community leaders and pastors who continue to be victims of violence.

Posted on the 5th November 2020 at 12:30pm.