The year's last distribution in El Talon has been somewhat difficult to plan out due to the bad rainy season affecting Colombia. There are thousands of people that have lost their homes in the country, and Colombia is in a state of emergency. I flew to Cartagena on December 17th, 2010, and it was the day that it suddenly stopped raining in the city. In fact, during my whole stay in Colombia, it did not rain at all. However, since El Talon does not have a road, mud was everywhere, and it was very uncomfortable trying to plan out a successful distribution knowing that it was difficult to even enter the town. Unfortunately, the local government has not done anything to help El Talon improve its living conditions. The day my family, volunteers, and I went to El Talon for the census, we were all impacted by the way the town looked after all the rain. In fact, we could not enter El Talon that day because it was so muddy, so we had to return the next day. It was my father's first time visiting El Talon, and he was very shocked to see how people live there. Even though the poverty is still very bad, I felt very happy to be there because everyone seemed excited to know that Beyond the Wall was going to complete a Christmas distribution! I met some new residents of El Talon...most of them were displaced due to the rain. Many of the homes were sinking due to the muddy conditions, and I do not know if the residents with sinking homes will be there the next time I return in 2011. Lucikily, we completed the census in about two hours, and we found ways to enter the town successfully. I want to thank my family and volunteers for all their help!
No comments:
Post a Comment