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Bogota, (Colombia) -- A roof for Colombia

A student group called A roof for Colombia began a little over a year ago to seek solutions for the living problems that many thousands of Colombian families now face.

They built their first house in the low income district of San Cristobal, south of Bogota, and since then have completed 41 more houses in other poor areas of the capital and nearby towns. The students themselves carry up the mountainsides the tools and materials needed to build with their own hands small houses for families that had been living in shacks of corrugated metal and plastic. In addition to their work, the students provide help based on their fields of study and take part in organizing each project: from finding donations and doing studies of the families benefited, to encouraging other initiatives to help the community. They also work on strategies for spreading their message, part of which involves an official Internet page.

At the present time about 70 students from various schools in the University of La Sabana are involved in the project. The university, through its student fund, provides resources for the project, and its Office of Solidarity and Welfare channels students who want to take part in the effort.

Romana, n. 38, January-June 2004, p. 88-89.

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