Mission Life Opens New Centers in Colombia During Pandemic
Mission Life team opening center in Genova with Lucy and Ricardo Lancheros of Formavida
DERRY -- All over the world, the pandemic has changed our lives. Wearing masks in public and social distancing. Remote learning for children and remote work for adults.
But in some countries, such as Colombia, many parents don’t have the luxury of working from home and homeschooling their children. Nor do many children have access to technology to facilitate remote learning.
That’s why a discovery team from Mission Life – a child sponsorship organization based in Derry -- traveled to Colombia in February – to plant additional child development centers and get children and families the help they need.
Three new Colombian development centers have now been opened – Seeds of Life in Villavicencio, Amazing Grace in Genova and Formavida 2 in Barrancas, a section of Bogota. They join two existing child centers in Colombia -- Formavida in Bogota and Mision Emanuel in Chia. Mission Life also partners with child development centers in Guatemala and Rwanda.
Formavida 2 classroom in Barrancas, an area of Bogota
First children’s activity at the new center in Genova
With these new centers, children enrolled in the program will now have access to the technology they need to continue their schooling remotely, preventing them from falling further behind in their studies. However, there are many children who still need sponsors.
“We went in the middle of a pandemic as a leap of faith, so we could provide three more regions with some help. Children are even more isolated with the pandemic. Their parents struggle to work outside the home and we want to make sure children feel connected and families have the support they need, ” said Angel Galvis, founder and CEO of Mission Life.
Traveling to Colombia during the middle of a pandemic was certainly a leap of faith. It was a difficult time to travel but the team knew the impact far outweighed some of the risks. “All proper precautions were taken to ensure team members were safe throughout their journey,” Galvis said.
Mission Life Inc. is a Christ-centered 501(c)3 organization based in Derry. Its goal is to promote social development to improve the lives of children and transform their social structures. All child development centers provide children with daily meals, homework help, enriching activities and spiritual teachings.
Learn more about Mission Life, sponsoring a child or supporting our organization here.
Opening the center in Villavicencio