Camden to Colombia....

Heading into day four in Colombia, it still seems slightly surreal to be here with 11 Americans, visiting foundations and seeing projects that I have spoken about so many times, but so rarely been able to share the experience with anyone first hand. So often over the years, I've separated my American life from my Colombian life and my social life from my volunteer work, but being able to spend time with some of my best friends, while teaching them about the country and social projects that mean so much to me is indescribable. We arrived late on Friday night, and first thing Saturday morning met with 10 foundations from all over Colombia to give a workshop on the use of digital photography to raise awareness about social causes and provide kids with an artistic outlet. Eliza Massey acted out the photographic process with her normal enthusiasm and charisma, lying on the floor, crouching down, and lurching behind her subjects in order to show the kids how to get just the right picture.
We listened to the goals and proposed projects of all the foundations, all of which are grassroots initiatives in severely marginalized, impoverished, and often violent parts of Colombia. One project, called Shooting Cameras for Peace, attended our workshop and offered their experiences working with kids, cameras, and violent conflict. We will be working to support the continuance of their project and they will be offering us guidance and follow up support to the foundations in Colombia that have been awarded cameras.
There's a lot more I could write.... we've been visiting neighborhoods, learning sign language with deafblind kids, and today, we visited Fundacion Formemos, the first place I worked when I arrived to Colombia.... I'll add more in the next couple days, but right now, having stopped to rest for the first time all day, I'm realizing how exhausted I am want to try and get at least one full night of rest. My friend Kevin Hanson, has also started a blog. He came to Colombia for the first time several months ago after a trip I helped him organize through Partners of the Americas and, having fallen in love with Colombia, he's back for a couple months to help me with the photography project and intern with various other organizations. Some of you might find his comments interesting as well.

A little help from your friends

Hi! My name is Anna Sideris, I am a long time friend of Alison's, and I will be accompanying her on her next trip to Colombia in February. As we come to the end of our count down to the Colombia trip, Alison is working overtime to get all the details in order, thus I am stepping in as her fill-in blogger. Our group is leaving February 14th for a two week tour through Bogota and Barranquilla. Right now we are all attempting to gather as many donations as possible to carry with us to Colombia because shipping fees are very high. If you are interested in making a donation, the following is a brief list of supplies which would be beneficial:
- school supplies (e.g. paper, pencils, art supplies, etc...)
- digital cameras and batteries
- children's clothing
- cloth diapers
- monetary donations
- anything else which you think may be useful!
All donations should be made to the Global Opportunity Garden. I can be contacted at:
home
cell
You may also send any donations to:
41 Melvin Hts. Rd.
Camden, ME 04843

Amazon.com Wishlist

A couple days ago, I got a great suggestion about how I might make it easier for people to donate things that the foundation needs. As many of you know, I've made a pledge that all donations will go directly to people and projects in need. I don't take a salary, and I pay for all administrative fees and airline tickets myself. But, in order to do that, I need everyone to keep helping me. I've started a Wish List on Amazon to help make it easier for everyone to make donations, and, so that you'll know exactly what your donation is going to.
You can click on the Amazon.com icon, or search wish lists on Amazon.com for Alison McKellar's wish list, which is titled Global Opportunity Garden.
Thanks again to everyone!

Everyone wants to go to Colombia!

Three months ago, when I announced I'd be taking a group of people to Colombia to learn about how different foundations are making a difference in the in world, I thought it would be pretty tough to sell people on the idea. Never did I imagine that I'd have to tell people the trip was full... but it is. Actually, with 11 people, it's more than full.... and I get new requests every day, which is just one more indicator showing me that people really do want to make a difference in the world; sometimes we just don't know how.

The most exciting thing is that everyone knows that they have not signed up for a tourist trip. Sure, we'll be sure to enjoy the beauty, biodiversity, and fascinating culture that Colombia has to offer, but more than anything, we're going to learn, to share our lives and skills, and broaden our global perspective.

But to all of you that didn't make it into this trip, don't worry, we'll be going again soon. I'm literally blown away by all the people who've offered their time, support, and encouragement... now I just have to figure out how to organize everyone.

Global Opportunity Garden teams up with Mercadeo Social

I'm very excited to announce that after meeting with representatives from Mercadeo Social in Colombia, an organization that helps non profits to become more effective, we've decided to team up to work together on the Lives Worth Sharing Community Photography Project. We are accepting proposals from small foundations and organizations in Colombia that are in need of digital cameras to help document their work and the lives of the people living in remote, violent, and poverty stricken regions of Colombia.
Because certain areas of Colombia are still too dangerous for journalists, there is often no one to document the desperate poverty and injustice endured by the people living there. Unfortunately, because the people usually live in such poverty that they lack the tools, training, and access to the media that they need to get their message out.
Visit www.mercadeosocial.org for more information in Spanish.

Dear Alison, how can I help?

Since getting back to Camden about a week ago, I've been so busy I've not had much of a chance to post any updates.... After being in Colombia, El Salvador and Brazil for about a month, truly immersed in my element, returning to Maine has reminded me that I still have a car payment and health insurance to pay for; and hence, the new bar tending career I've embarked upon.
With all the people in need and projects I've seen, I remain committed to giving 100% of all donations I receive directly to projects and people. Having a day job, though, would get in the way of speaking to students and organizations, which is, without a doubt, the part of my life I most enjoy...
I've found that so many young people have an inert desire to do something for others, but often think they have to wait until they're older to make a real difference. Having the chance to speak in schools about my experiences is something I'm truly grateful for.

Today, I received this email that really touched me, and I thought I'd share it with all of you:

Dear Allison,
I want to make a difference in the world like u did. how can i help people in like El Salvador,Mexico, and Columbia? I've always wanted to help whether it's seeing people in the hospital on x mas or helping kids in need. I'm 11 and in 6 grade. How can i help?

Visiting families on the volcano

CIMG0013.JPG
Originally uploaded by alison.mckellar

This lady has been so hard for me to stop thinking about.... she's 76 and has no access to clean water and has just learned she'll soon be forced to leave her land because a new highway is being constructed to facilitate trade routes to Panama... part of the ongoing saga caused by free trade agreements in El Salvador. Although desperate and withdrawn, she remains feisty and frequently jokes about her own death. She doesn't want us to leave, and embraces each member of the group, offering a dramatic appeal for us to return to spend New Years with her and her family... I am the only one that speaks Spanish in the group, but the woman seems not to have understand that my friends don't understand her, so each time I turn around to talk with someone else, I am called back to translate a message from her. She asks us not to forget her, and I try my best to translate her words into English with the same sense of urgency and sorrow that I hear them in Spanish. She says that her community needs plastic barrels so they can store more water... she and her daughter both agree that this is their greatest concern. The metal barrel they have now is corroded and leaking. $10 the barrel costs.... she doesn't forsee getting a barrel anytime soon... this is one of their long term goals...
Being back home, in Camden, I can't stop thinking about this woman and all the people she, without knowing, speaks on behalf of. I've heard so many stories over the past month, and now it's time to start organizing and figuring out how to best help these people... how I can possibly communicate their message. It's so hard to make people here feel what we all felt speaking with this lady. Still, it's not so complicated... I shouldn't have to think of all kinds of creative strategies to communicate such a simple message: these people don't have food or clean water, and here, we have more than enough of almost everything.

Five years later...

First of all, for all of you who receive these updates via email, it has been brought to my attention that you only receive the text of my post in your email, and not the pictures, so make sure to visit the actual blog site when I mention pictures if you want to see them. Here's the link: http://alisonmckellar.blogspot.com

Also, it's often worth looking at the full size version of the pictures by clicking anywhere on the slide show.


El Salvador has been amazing. Last night, we went to a meeting of all the members of the community here, after spending the day walking around San Ramon and visiting houses. It was almost surreal, arriving at some of the same homes I remember visiting five years ago when I first came.... but this time, the sensation was completely distinct. Rather than nervously following behind group leaders and waiting for translations, I was able to translate, organize and prompt discussions. Now, when the people talk about poverty, or the violence of the war and the family members they lost, I am able to ask questions, relate to them, and share experiences from what I've seen in Colombia.
At the meeting, all the community members were given a chance to speak about what our visit means to them. I remember being blown away by the same process five years ago, left speechless by their generosity and graciousness. This time, though, I was able to get up in from of 100 members of the community and tell them how the two weeks I had spent with them five years ago had changed the entire life. I couldn't keep from tearing up as I thanked them for the inspiration that has motivated me to learn Spanish, and delve into humanitarian work with Mexican farmworkers, deafblind people, and Colombians. One on hand, I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction, that my sympathy for and solidarity with the Salvadoran people has been transformed into concrete action, but on the other hand, I find their commitment and compassion to be so immense, that I feel deeply humbled... reminded that I have only brushed the surface of what I hope to contribute to society.

Today has been a day of rest, but also full of activity. We spent the day at the beach with the families were staying with, and had an amazing day, swimming in the ocean of one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen. We also got a chance to ask questions about the war during the 80's and hear about all the family and community members assassinated during that time.
Then, on our way home, as seen in the picture to the right, the van we were driving broke down in the middle of the highway. We decided to slowly, and carefully get out, one by one, and dodge through traffic to wait on the side of the road until another truck came along and picked us up. Much to our surprise, rather than calling a tow truck, the best option was considered to be tying the van, by rope, to the truck and pulling it all the way through the city back home.... quite an adventure, needless to say... but we are all safe and sound now.

Also... a quick note about the February Educational Trip planned to Colombia for all of you who have been asking.... Yes, there are still spots available between the 16th and the 23rd. The trip will be a perfect opportunity to learn more about the projects I'll be fund raising for during the next few months, and also to learn about Colombia, and the dynamics of the environment, poverty, and NGOs in developing countries. Please visit www.globalopportunitygarden.org for more information, and contact me with any questions.

In El Salvador

Well, I just arrived to El Salvador but have a few minutes before Kevin's flight arrives so I thought I'd take advantage of one of the last opportunities to use the internet that I'll have before getting back to the U.S. on the 10th. I left Barranquilla this morning, wishing, as always that I had more time in Colombia, but also also with an incredible excitement for my arrival to El Salvador. As many of you know, my trip to El Salvador five years ago profoundly changed the course of my life and my sense of purpose and commitment. The last time I was here, I did not speak a single word of Spanish, but vowed to learn the language, and learn as much as I could about poverty, Latin America, inequality, and possibilities for change.
My experiences in Colombia have deepened my understanding of social justice as well as injustice, and I believe these five years have profoundly enriched my perspective and capacity as an agent of social change.
I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to reunite with the same group of people, in the same country, that so remarkably changed the course of my life five years ago. And now I can speak Spanish!

Pictures from Barranquilla

News from the jungle prisoners of the FARC

Yesterday was a difficult day for people in Colombia. For the first time in years, families of people kidnapped by the FARC received videos and letters from their loved ones. Here, this photo is of Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate with dual citizenship in France and Colombia. She was kidnapped five years ago during a negotiation process with the FARC. The videos and letters are sent as "proof of life", and although families here are happy to see their loved ones alive, everyone is appalled by the conditions in which the people have been kept. In past videos, Ingrid has been strong and outspoken, but in this video she doesn't even lift her head.
For more information read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/world/americas/01colombia.html?ex=1354251600&en=08c8e771f61f6735&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Today, I am continuing to visit more social projects in Barranquilla.... I continue to be amazed and humbled by the warmth and generosity of the Colombians I meet and work with, but also, at times I find myself overwhelmed by the human suffering I've seen from hunger, flooding, and only hope I can communicate their message to the outside world, and make some meaningful contribution, however small.

Catching up...

I've been so busy I've had a hard time getting everything posted.... so many pictures and so many stories.....



Here are some pictures from Ibagué, Colombia as well... about four hours from Bogotá

Ciudad Bolivar

These are a few pictures from Ciudad Bolivar, in the south of Bogotá. Bogotá, like Colombia as whole, is marked by extreme inequality. In the north, the city is as modern and wealthy as anywhere in Europe of North America, but the farther south one goes, the poorer it gets. Ciudad Bolivar is about as far south as one can go, and made up largely of groups of displaced people who have arrived to the city seeking refuge from the armed conflict in other parts of the country. Most people in Northern Bogotá never have occasion to venture to the South and the vast majority of the southerners lack the resources to make it to the North, which is quite beautiful and well organized. In Ciudad Bolivar, I am always struck by the juxtaposition of desperate poverty and spectacular, panoramic views.... it's like nothing I've ever seen, and you really have to go there get a sense for it, but I've done my best to capture some of it in photographs... more to come...

We reached our goal!

I'm very excited to announce that, in 3 days, we reached our goal of raising 500 dollars for a new roof and a stove for Gloria and her two girls. Today is my last day in Bogotá before going to Barranquilla, so I am actually going to be able to give them the money before I leave so they can get started right away. Everyone here is so excited and so amazed that we were able to act so quickly and it makes me feel so proud to be part of a community that cares. I've been able to start with the photography project, so the best part of all of this is that we'll be able to see updates from the construction of Gloria's house, through pictures taken by donated cameras. I'm also hoping that, in February, when I come with a group of people, that we'll be able to see the improvements made to the house, and hear the reaction from the two girls. If anyone is interested in joining me on an educational trip to Colombia in February, please visit my website: www.globalopportunitygarden.org and click on "educational trips" or email me at globalopportunitygarden@gmail.com

Thanks so much to all that contributed!

It's easy to forget how fortunate we are and how much we can do...

Today, I was able to return to Fundación Formemos where I worked for several months during 2005 and with which I have continued a close relationship for the last two years. The foundation is set up as a boarding home, a school, a small farm, and a community resource for kids that have been displaced by the armed conflict. There, they teach children from ages 4-18, the skills they need to stay in the rural areas and not displace to the city. The stories of some of the kids are so heart wrenching, it's hard to imagine how they get up, go to school, smile, laugh, and play like any other child. Browsing through their files, there are many girls who have been raped, abandoned, or severely malnourished. One boy is at the foundation because his father is in prison for killing his mother in front of him. Many of the children live at the foundation because their parents are either not around or live too far away, but some come from the surrounding rural area and commute to the foundation in bus, or on foot.
The girl in the picture above is named Dianica. Her mother, Gloria, is mentally disabled and was raped when she was 13. She walks several miles each day to accompany her two girls to the foundation, and, not surprisingly, becomes hysterical if a strange man touches them. The house, if you can call it a house, where she and her two daughters live has no electricity, and only recently has had its dirt floor replaced by a slab of cement. The pictures in the slideshow will give you a closer look, but the conditions are really deplorable.
The social workers at the foundation have worked hard to help Gloria improve as a parent, but she is mentally disabled and unable to get a job. She works at the foundation on the weekends in return for food and schooling for the girls. She's hoping to make a room that has a roof and a floor for the two girls who suffer many health problems due to their living conditions. The social workers at the foundation will take care of all the building arrangements if we can get together the money to make a room for the two girls. Gloria already has some bricks, which will bring the cost down, and Fundación Formemos would handle all the money to make sure it is used properly. If I can raise $500 dollars, we can get Gloria a suitable stove for cooking, and a dignified room for the two girls to sleep.

Interesting energy saver from Brazil

I forgot to mention this earlier.... When I got to the hotel in Brazil, in Sao Paolo after missing my connection to Bogotá, I got to the room and it appeared that there was no electricity... none of the lights would turn on.... nothing. I went down to the front desk and communicated, in broken Portuguese/Spanish, my problem....
It turns out that you have to insert your card/room key into this little apparatus in order to activate the electricity which make it impossible to leave the lights on or the television or anything when you leave the room because you obviously take your card with you... to me, this seemed like a really good way to conserve energy.

Mal de montañas....

Well, all the traveling, dehydration, altitude change finally caught up to me... yesterday morning, I went to visit the migratory bird project I've been coordinating, and was literally moved to tears by the enthusiasm of the kids and the commitment of the professors.... I'll give a more detailed report of that when I upload the photos and feel a little better.
Then, on my way to my next activity I began to feel the first signs of altitude sickness coming on. I had felt a little dizzy that morning with a bit of a headache but thought it would pass.... then, I just proceeded to get so dizzy and nauseated that I had to go home.... it got to the point where I could even keep water down and became so dehydrated that they almost forced me to go to the hospital... luckily someone suggested that I take a couple pills that would make me stop throwing up, and that worked okay.... they made me drink about three gallons of pedialyte and now I feel a little better but still get quite dizzy when I walk around too much. I'm not sure why this happened because I've been to Colombia plenty of times without getting altitude sickness but I think the sudden change of climate from Brazil, and the fact that I was already dehydrated just pushed me over the edge.

Magda...

Well, my first evening in Bogotá was great.... I'm staying in Alicia O'Campo's house, the same place where I lived two years ago. My friend, Magda, came over to visit while I unpacked and began caught me up on everything going on in her life. Magda and I met while I was working as a translator for Sense International with deafblind people and instantly became friends with the idea that I would teach her English and she would teach me sign language. We were never ale to stick to the lesson plan though, always finding ourselves drawn away into other conversations. We both seem to share a certain compulsive solidarity with those in need.... For any of you that heard my graduation speech for Stetson, Magda is the girl I talked about.
Magda, though, is in a really difficult situation herself... she studied audiology because her passion is teaching deafblind children to communicate, but literally has to make decisions every day about paying for lunch or paying the busfare to get to work. She has made such an incredible difference in so many people's lives and doesn't even have a steady place to live or the guarantee of enough to eat every day.... If she had even half the opportunities that I have, I can only imagine the amazing things she could do... I wish I knew what I could do to help her, but hopefully during this trip, I'll be able to think of a way. On Sunday, she's going to take me out to Ciudad Bolivar and we're going to photograph and film some of the different kids and projects she's working with... my hope is that when I get back the United States I can raise some money for some of the work she's doing.... I've worked with a lot of Non Profits and volunteers, but I can honestly say I very rarely meet people who are so effective in their work and so sincerely selfless in their intentions.

Stuck in Sao Paolo

If everything had gone as planned I would already be in Bogotá, Colombia but I've ended up instead at Monaco Hotel in Sao Paolo, Brazil. I left the convention center in Ouro Preto at 2:30AM in order to make a 6:30 flight from Belo Horizonte to Bogotá with a connection in Sao Paolo but the flight was delayed and I missed the only flight today to Bogotá. Luckily, TAM airlines was very quick to offer me a hotel voucher and transportation to a hotel. I'm quite exhausted because I didn't go to sleep last night, enjoying my last night of the Partners of the Americas convention, and anticipating that I'd sleep on the plane... As much as I would have liked to get to Colombia today, the good news is that my Portuguese language skills are improving rapidly in this "sink or swim" Sao Paolo immersion... It took a while to get my internet connection going which allowed me to use Skype (a free download if anyone wants to talk to me for free... I should be on a little later... my user name is alisonmckellar) to call Maria Consuelo and Orlando to tell them not to pick me up in Colombia.
I'll write more later after I get a bit of rest....

Here are a few more pictures from the Convention:

Pictures from Brazil....