COTA Newsletters
The Whole Picture - Spring 2012
Rafa had helped his dad pick coffee for as long as he could remember. Forced to move around to find work on farms, he was constantly changing schools. It was hard making new friends and keeping up with school work, and he soon dropped out altogether. With nowhere else to go, he started hanging out on the streets, taking drugs to numb the cold and the loneliness...A School for Everyone - Autumn 2011
School was not seen as an option for Ana for many years. She is bright and friendly, but she also has a disability and lives in poverty. For 13 years, Ana was kept at home, hidden away from the world. Because of this, she was unable to talk, let alone read. It seemed she would never have the opportunity to fulfil her potential...
A Working Life - Spring 2011
Clarisa can't remember when she started working, she was so young. Every day she would get up at 5am to start the long walk to the market place, and spend the day carrying heavy boxes of fruit. It didn't seem strange to her that she didn't have any friends of her own age, she'd never known any different...
Growing Pains - Autumn 2010
Growing up and leaving home can be tough for anyone. Imagine how tough it is if you don't have a home in the first place, and have spent most of your life in care...
Silent Victims - Spring 2010
Speaking out against the sexual exploitation of children. Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is a growing problem in Colombia. Numbers are increasing and the age of children being exploited is falling - cases of children as young as four have been reported.
Deadly Toys - Autumn 2009
Colombia has one of the highest number of landmine victims in the world. Children are so vulnerable to touching them because they often look like toys. Children of the Andes is working to educate children about the dangers of landmines.
