This non-profit orphanage provides a home to children up to 18 years old, many of whom have been forced out of their home due to malnutrition, abuse, drugs, and teen pregnancy. The ultimate aim of this organization is to eventually reunite the children with their families, through group therapy sessions. If not possible, the children are put into foster families instead.
As a volunteer, your tasks will be dependent upon your profession, academic background, and general experience dealing with children. You may be asked to teach English, play with the children, or assist with the psychology and nursing departments.
Work Schedule: 3 times per week, 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Location of Placements: Chia (a suburb of Bogota, located near the University)
Lodging: Homestay
Requirements:
Minimum age: 18 years.
Minimum commitment: 4 weeks.
Minimum Spanish level: Mid-Intermediate
Love of children.
Important Things to Consider:
The orphanage is a 15 minute bus ride from Bogota.
WATCH THE WHOLE VIDEO, it's worth it!!! Would you take the risk to travel to Colombia? Have you been informed certainly? Watch this video till the end and know what Colombia means...
COLOMBIA IS PASSION!!!! BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE, BRIGHT CULTURE AND AMAZING LANDSCAPES.
And search for more videos of Colombia in Youtube.
Unfortunately we cannot offer any solid advice in terms of visas. One government department says that to be an unpaid volunteer you in Colombia you need to have what is called a 'temporal visa' which lasts from 6 months to two years and cost between $US120-$US205. This should be organised with the Foreign Affairs Department in your country before arriving in Colombia. Another says that as long as you aren't being paid you do not need any special visa. It is easy to slip under the radar of the DAS (Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad - The Colombian Security Service) by not drawing too much attention to yourself, only having a normal tourist visa and then claim ignorance should you have any problems.
For detailed information about Colombian Temporal Visa's, visit the Consulate General Colombia, Texas.
Visa Extensions in Cartagena
All visitors to Colombia receive an entry stamp upon arrival at the airport or land border. These visa's are issued for 30, 60 and 90 days, although you may have to explain the purpose of your stay if you require a 90 day visa. To extend your tourist visa you will need to go to the DAS office which is located in the suburb called 'Pie de la Popa' (open Monday to Friday 8-12am and 2-4pm). The easiest way is to go by mototaxi from Calle de la Media Luna. This shouldn't cost more then 1,500 pesos (US$0.55, June '06).
You are entitled to a 30 day visa extension and the whole time of your stay in Colombia with a tourist visa is limited to six months per year. To extend your visa at the DAS office in Cartagena you must be prepared to present a valid passport including visa/stamp of entry, four photographs, your onward ticket and a copy (if you don't have one, say you have an e-ticket) and two copies of both the ID page and your entry stamp of your passport. Furthermore you need a folder for files and the receipt and a copy of your money transfer at BANCAFE (no other bank). The price for a 30 day extension is 60,600 pesos (US$23, June '06).
The DAS office (Tel: 6562524 Extension 15) will give you the up-to-date price of the visa extension as well as all details for the money transfer to the DAS account, alternatively you can look at the BANCAFE near to the Plaza de Reloj which has example 'Visa Extension Form' on display. You can find this bank in a small side street between Av. Daniel Lemaitre and Av. Venezuela. You will see the Bank if you walk down the Av. Daniel Lemaitre.
Anyway, you should ask at the DAS office for the documentary requirements before your visa runs out because they change frequently. They will give you a note with all things you'll need (and they can show you a folder in case you don't know what to buy).
Ask for an extension beginning with the date of expiration of your old visa otherwise it could be they give you 30 days beginning with the date of issue. Count on spending a lot of time waiting and be polite, there is no point in getting upset.
I just returned to Bogota from my backpacking trip through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru! I just spent the last two days loading all the pictures from the trip to Facebook and spent awhile adding explanations in lieu of a blog entry. For all of you who have kept asking for pictures, now you can finally see them all! Don't worry, you don't have to be a registered member of Facebook to see the pictures, just click the following links to see the albums with my commentary. Please feel free to make comments or send me your thoughts. I always love hearing from you all!
And for a quick update, I did ultimately decide to wait a year to go to law school. I will be staying in Colombia for approximately two more months to continue my volunteering and livin the dream. From there, the possibilities are endless, but I'm currently exploring the option of going to Guatemala for a few weeks after leaving Bogota. Ultimately, I'll definitely be home by August because my little brother just announced he's getting married! At first, he was having the marriage in May, but because I and some other family member's couldn't make it on short notice, he pushed back the date. I'm so happy and so glad I get to go!
After that, I'm still moving forward with my plans to travel the world for a year before starting law school next Fall. It's still in the preliminary stages, but I couldn't be more excited about seeing more of this wonderful world we live in!
Information Plan's office in Cartagena is predominately aimed at supporting their sponsor program, the office receives and distributes all the presents/letters sent from abroad . They also have strong connections with a number of local schools which they support financially, their other ties with the community are through volunteers who help with the organisation of their sponsor program. The delegates or volunteers in the community also design proposals for programs/activities and then the centre distributes the funds that they require. The best way to utilise this network would be to present an activity or seminar for a few days in something such as theatre. Plan would be able to organise a schedule for your activity at their 'Amigo Escuelas' (associate schools) of which there are now 23. A problem with working with a company like this are the multiple levels of administration that you must pass through in order to talk to the right person. It would be advised to start talking to the people at plan well you before you intend to be in Colombia. There are regularly english speaking workers on exchange at the office in Cartagena but you could also try and go through the office in your country.
There are many ways in which you can help the children of Cartagena although the biggest and most rewarding contribution you can make is you time. Organising an activity that is both fun and beneficial will leave a footprint on the lives of these deserving kids and give you the feeling of having a achieved something as well. These activities can be anything you like, just think about the skills you have and use your imagination, we recommened that you give yourself at least six weeks to get the most out of the experience though. To give you some ideas, read the Projects Page to see what's been done in the past.
Alternatively if you'd like to participate in an on-going project you can contact one of the following people to find out how to get involved.
Erin [+57 310 722 1329] visits Funda Familiar every Wednesday afternoon and does arts and crafts activities with the kids.
Harald [+57 300 492 9193] visits 'La Finca' every fortnight, normally on Sundays, to help the community.
Donations - anything, not just money!
A great way to help promote the quality of life for these kids is to make a donation, but donations aren't just limited to money. Any range of supplies can be of benefit here, especially clothing (including shoes) and hygiene (such as soap and dental products). You can send supplies like these to any of the organisations listed on our website, feel free to contact us if you'd like to know where your donation would be appreciated the most.
Before I move on to telling you all about my time at the in-laws, I need to tell you about San Telmo how I love San Telmo and how I haven’t spent enough time there. Sundays in San Telmo are lovely.. they get a bit touristy but the street music and street theatre are just really charming. There’s a student orchestra that plays in the middle of the street in Defensa and I can listen to them forever.
San Telmo is very very tango, has gorgeous antiques and an antiques market on Sunday, but also a shop where I found my new favourite bag, made out of a recycled inner tube. It’s made beautifully and the strap is made out of a bicycle inner tube. Love this stuff, and goes well with my crazy bag collection.
Bueno, entonces... is the best selling language-learning program for the iPhone, now available on DVD and instant download! Featured by Apple as New & Noteworthy, tens of thousands are already learning Spanish with Bueno, entonces…
Taking the most effective elements from traditional audio books and software programs, Bueno, entonces... has revamped language-learning by incorporating those features into a 1-on-1 Spanish lesson format, where you sit in on private classes with fresh audio/visual teaching tools, a huge improvement over programs currently available on the market.
Bueno, entonces... takes you inside 30 private Spanish lessons with Jimena, a gorgeous Spanish instructor, and David, her jackass student from London as he learns Spanish in beautiful Buenos Aires. Like learn-Spanish reality TV, but without the guilt of getting addicted, because in just 5 weeks you'll be speaking Spanish conversationally.
Colombian Aviation authorities granted 20 new international route permissions to Colombian airlines in an attempt to bring the ticket price down and boost international trips, newspaper La Republica reported on Wednesday.
The permission, which will make the airlines less dependent on domestic flights, was granted to Avianca, Aires and Aero República.
Aires will add weekly flights from Bogota to New York and back, and daily frequencies from Barranquilla, Cali, and Cartagena to Fort Lauderdale in Florida. It will also fly the Bogota-Sao Paulo, and Rionegro-Mexico City frequencies, with Boeing 373-700 aircrafts.
Aviaca will fly Bogota-Orlando-Bogota everyday, and Bogota-San Jose (Costa RIca)-Bogota. It will also add frequencies from Bogota to Sao Paulo, Fort Laudrdale, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, Aruba, and Curaçao.
Aero Republica will add frequencies from Bogota to Santo Domingo, Aruba, San Jose (Costa Rica), Panama, Sao Paulo, and Miami.
The report says that Colombia aviation authorities are brokering a bilateral agreement with Dubai for new direct flights between the two countries.
Alvaro Uribe, President of Colombia, has always been a preacher of foreign investment as a fundamental economic policy that would fuel the country´s growth. That’s the reason he spent most of his time lobbying investors in New York the past week.
But there is a major reason he wants to promote Colombia as a foreign investment destination so passionately.
Bogotá is on the move. Once considered a place to avoid, the capital has cleaned up its act and is fast becoming one of Latin America's urban highlights. Improved security, infrastructure projects and a clean-up campaign have helped bring a new face to the metropolis.
Home to more than seven million people, Colombians still flock to Bogotá in search of opportunities. Many find that the streets are not exactly paved with gold and end up eking out an existence in one of the vast shantytowns that line the southern portion of the city.
Graceful churches, excellent museums, cultural events and a thriving nightlife can keep you busy for several days. Bogotá is also the political, financial and service center for the country, and its geographic heart, making it a useful base from which to explore the country. Despite its massive sprawl, Bogotá is a dotted with parks and leisure spots. Cool air and almost daily rain sweep away residual pollution, and there are several high peaks to the east of town that help you to keep your perspective on the ground.
Most travelers spend their time in or around historic La Candelaria, a pleasant quarter of cafés, churches and museums. Northern Bogotá stands in great contrast to the south, turning up its nose to history and moving forward as a modern district of brash capitalist values.
Colombia is a reasonably cheap country to travel in, provided you are traveling overland. Backpackers should be prepared to shell out US$15 to US$25 per day on average. If you want a more comfy trip, with midrange hotels, some better restaurants and a flight from time to time, you'll average somewhere between US$25 and US$45 daily. Some resort areas, especially along the Caribbean coast, have all-inclusive resort packages that cost US$100 to US$150 for two people, a good value anywhere. You can save money by going to free days at museums (often the last Sunday of the month), or using a student card when buying plane and museum tickets. Also remember that bus ticket fares are always negotiable. A little haggling can usually knock off around 20% to 30% of the cost, though you may need to shop around at the various bus company windows.
Money
Credit and debit cards are the safest and easiest way to access money in Colombia. Traveler's checks (Amex are by far the easiest to change) are safer than cash, though some US dollar bills may be useful.
Large amounts of counterfeit US dollars 'made in Cali' circulate on the market. According to rough estimates, about a quarter of all fake US dollars, virtually indistinguishable from the genuine article, circulating worldwide are printed in Colombia.
Generally, Bancolombia and the Banco Unión Colombiano are the banks to visit if you need to change money or do any over-the-counter transactions. However, you will find half-a-dozen other banks in most medium-sized towns that have ATMs.
Read more practical info about Colombia at Lonely Planet.
Colombia has significant natural resources and its diverse culture reflects the indigenous Indian, Spanish and African origins of its people.
But it has also been ravaged by a decades-long violent conflict involving outlawed armed groups, drug cartels and gross violations of human rights.
The fourth largest country in South America and one of the continent's most populous nations, Colombia has substantial oil reserves and is a major producer of gold, silver, emeralds, platinum and coal.
Overview
It also has a highly stratified society where the traditionally rich families of Spanish descent have benefited from this wealth to a far greater degree than the majority, mixed-race population. With few avenues for social mobility, this provided a natural constituency for left-wing insurgents.
But the lucrative returns from drugs and kidnapping now dominate the rebels' agenda, and have largely replaced ideological motivations. Peace talks with the main left-wing rebel group, the Farc, collapsed in 2002.
At the other end of the political spectrum are illegal right-wing paramilitary groups, who are sometimes in the pay of drug cartels and landowners, and backed by elements in the army and the police.
Efforts are under way to demobilise the groups, which have been particularly active in the north-west where they have targeted human rights workers, peasants suspected of helping left-wing guerrillas, street children and other marginal groups.
Colombia has a long tradition of constitutional government. The Liberal and Conservative parties, founded in 1848 and 1849 respectively, are two of the oldest surviving political parties in the Americas. However, tensions between the two have frequently erupted into violence, most notably in the Thousand Days War (1899-1902) and La Violencia, beginning in 1948. Since the 1960s, government forces, left-wing insurgents and right-wing paramilitaries have been engaged in the continent's longest-running armed conflict. Fuelled by the cocaine trade, this escalated dramatically in the 1990s. However, the insurgents lack the military or popular support necessary to overthrow the government, and in recent years the violence has been decreasing.
Created by linguists, teachers and students from a half-dozen countries, General Linguistics developed Bueno, entonces… to incorporate all the best elements of the software and audiobook language learning methods like Pimsleur and Rosetta Stone that have been around for decades.
We mixed the comprehensive learning material of the audiobook courses with the addictive, fun and universally beloved format of a television show to create the Bueno, entonces… series. Each of the 30classes is 30-40 minutes long, proven as the perfect length for a language course - long enough to cover vocabulary and grammar topics but short enough to keep you interested the whole time. The challenging fast pace and edgy, entertaining style of Bueno, entonces… will keep you coming back for more.
Learning Spanish doesn’t have to be boring and monotonous. Bueno, entonces… infuses a witty, engaging storyline into the learning process - and by following along you absorb more Spanish, morequickly than you ever thought possible. By the end of the 5-week, 30-class series, you will be speaking and understanding native conversational Spanish!
Bueno, entonces… incorporates the following 5 principles to make learning Spanish fun, painless and effective:
1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging With Wit and Charm.
If you are not engaged, you are not going to learn or remember anything. Learning doesn’t have to be boring — remember your favorite teachers? Well, wait until you meet David & Jimena…
The Provinces
-
That’s how they call the rest of the country here. My winning a trip from Bueno
Entonces to Buenos Aires happily coincided with the 70th birthday of my
fat...
Volunteer Colombia is an online resource for people who are interested in volunteering with non-profit organizations or an NGO (ONG) in Colombia. These pages are chock full of resources, links, videos, photos, news, and everything else you might need to make a good decision about where to volunteer in Colombia, and how to make the most of your volunteer experience.
We will also post information on the various methods to Learn Spanish in Colombia, including online resources like dictionaries, translation services, and study aides. You will also find information on Rosetta Stone as well as General Linguistics "Bueno, entonces..." Spanish learning programs, among others. We will try to provide good product reviews and comparisons.
We will try to post every day or two, so check back often for more information. Leave comments or contact us if there is anything in particular you want us to cover. Gracias!
Posts
