Bringing Hope to Altos de Cazuca

In the last article, we explored the historical and social background of the challenges being faced by Colombians today. Large squatter zones have sprouted on inhospitable hillsides and landfill sites as millions of internally displaced people (IDPs) huddle around Colombia’s major cities, driven there by the violence in the countryside. In this article, our tour focuses in one of the IDP zones on the outskirts of Bogotá, Altos de Cazuca.

Hang on tight! We are bouncing around in the back of a four-wheel drive jeep as we head up a steep rutted dirt road to Altos de Cazuca. The name of our Christian partner, CDA (translated as Corporation God is Love) is prominently displayed on the side of our vehicle. The local paramilitaries allow CDA into the area because they recognize that CDA is helping the community. Even so, it is dangerous. Certain protocols need to be followed – nods and hand signals.

The local paramilitary group controls Altos de Cazuca by fear and intimidation. During the day, paramilitary members merge into the general population. It is usually only at night that they come out and enforce their twilight curfew with guns, while brutally hunting down anyone who has spoken against them. Recently, the authorities determined that a worker in a small shoe store was a leader of the paramilitary. A large contingent of the Bogota police force soon arrived, surrounded the store, and arrested the man. This is a rare occurrence, since opening one’s mouth in the IDP areas is an invitation for an assassin’s bullet.

Soon we arrive at the front gate of the Altos de Cazuca School, which has 1,008 sponsored children enrolled. The school is surrounded by a high wall topped with barbed wire. Missy Christie de Acosta, one of the leaders of CDA, tells us the sad story of a 16-year-old student at the school who sang a beautiful song for her on her birthday a few months ago. A week later, having been seen talking to a girl that a young paramilitary gang member fancied, the 17-year-old gang member approached the home of the 16-year-old, asked him to step outside, and shot him in the head, killing him instantly. Just like that, a precious and promising young life is snuffed out. Even so, nothing is done about these crimes. Missy points out that Colombia has a very well-defined set of laws (too well-defined in many instances), but fails to enforce them, especially in these poor squatter areas.

Entering the school is like entering an oasis in the desert. The contrast is startling. Outside, one is met with the somber, almost lifeless, stares of people for whom curiosity is a long forgotten luxury. Inside, our ears are assaulted with the laughter of children. Oh happy sound! A number are playing in the courtyard and when they see us, they stop, point, and smile at us. Several years ago, you wouldn’t have heard much laughter. The children were hyperactive, disrespectful, and played in packs, looking fearfully at other groups. They were children who carried the burdens of adulthood. Today they are much calmer, respectful, and relaxed with each other. Back then, the main reason the children gave for being at the school was the warm meal they were served each day. Now they speak of the importance of studying God’s Word and the desire to serve Him.

As we walk through the school, which is perched on the hillside, we can see the mountains in the distance shrouded in fog. We are shown an addition to the school which is still under construction. New government restrictions mean that the school can no longer run in two shifts. Based on a government study, it has been determined that children are at risk when they are enrolled in the irregular shift since their key caregivers are often not available to look after them when they get home from school. The added facilities are needed to handle that issue, as well as further growth. The local education ministry can make life very difficult. One of the other CDA schools was recently shut down for three weeks because a relatively minor detail on a form was missed. Local officials like to flex their power and are usually oblivious to the real needs of the children.

We are invited to enter a number of classrooms and are greeted respectfully by the students. They all stand up and say in unison, “Buenos Dias!” Upon learning that they are studying math, we give them some math problems to solve and they happily compete to provide the answers. In each class we ask questions about the last Bible lesson they have had (they receive them daily). We are delighted to see that each class’s knowledge of the Bible corresponds quite closely to what we would expect of Christian school children in North America.

There are a number of accelerator classes. Some children enter the sponsorship program at an older age than others and understandably do not fit in well with children who are significantly younger than they are. Rather than allow the problem to ferment, the accelerator classes have been put in place to help these children catch up to their peer group.

One of the highlights of our day is the visit to the class for the mentally challenged. The teacher, along with one assistant, looks after 21 students—a big challenge. The teacher has special training to teach these children and has given up a job with double the salary to teach this class. She clearly loves the children and puts her all into it. We are impressed and thankful for the high calibre of talent that God has provided for the school.

We visit the kitchen. Every student in this school of 1,008 children receives at least one warm meal every school day. Some receive two. The children eat in their classrooms.

After some refreshing fruit drinks, we spend the remainder of the day doing personal interviews with some of the sponsored children. Repeatedly, we are told by the children how their lives have changed. “We go to church now.” “My parents don’t fight anymore.”

It is 5:00 pm and we need to be out of the area before dark. Our two security men herd us back to the jeep and we are treated to another jostling ride down the mountain. We safely leave the Altos de Cazuca district, having been enriched, encouraged, and challenged to match the passion and self-sacrifice of the teachers and administrators of this special school that is a beacon of light in an ocean of darkness.

Rick Postma is director of public relations for Word & Deed Ministries