“What does it mean to you to have a floor?”
I stared blankly. Floor? Well, you can’t have a house without a floor. Linoleum? Hard wood? Tile? What the heck does she mean, what does it mean?
Isabela continued in Spanish. “I asked the women, what does it mean to you to now have a floor in your home? Tell me in one word. And they told me: Seguridad. Stabilidad. Felicidad.”
Security. Stability. Happiness.
The last descriptor came from a nine year-old girl after Actuar Por Bolivar gave her family a floor on which she could finally sit and play with her friends. Before that gift, their house stood on a foundation of compressed dirt. And every time it rained, a nearby canal (which served as an unofficial garbage dump, to make matters worse) overflowed and flooded their town. The floorless homes had no foundations to properly seal out the water, and the dirt turned to mud which turned to knee-deep rivers of filthy water.
“Here, the rain comes at night, when everyone is sleeping. Can you imagine?”
Isabela is a psychologist who works with the people that Actuar Por Bolivar serves. When I met her for the first time, I didn’t understand why a microfinance organization would need a psychologist on their staff. I was sipping cafe tinto with a full packet of sugar and enjoying the air conditioning in the office of the director, Rosario. She pulled out two thick photos albums from a book shelf in her office and dropped them on her desk in front of me. I flipped through page after page of images of families in makeshift shelters, shirtless and dusty children, and faces devoid of expression. Rosario and Isabela explained that the people in the photos were desplazados— the displaced, people who lost loved ones and homes during the violence and instability of the 1990s in Colombia. Many of them are still rebuilding their lives and making peace with the past.
A few weeks later, I joined these women and other volunteers at the organization on a visit to one of the poor barrios where they provide microfinance and educational services. We visited owners of small businesses and listened to their stories. One young woman sold candies, cigarettes, snacks, and boli (ice pops) from her front porch. I bought a lollipop. Several other women maintained small organic gardens in their backyards and sold their produce to a local hotel. Yes, organic. Pesticide-free. It’s not just at Whole Foods, people.
One of the organic gardens that Actuar Por Bolivar helps to support
“Sale of boli and paleta” (ice pops)
Selling snacks from her front porch
Microfinance is especially helpful to people who live in poor rural areas like these where jobs at factories and companies are hard to come by. Most of the small businesses owners we met were women, raising families and trying to make a living from their homes. Organizations like Actuar Por Bolivar provide small loans which allow these women to invest in and grow their businesses, and thus improve their quality of life.
The process isn’t perfect. Not all of the businesses end up being profitable, and not all micro-loans get repaid. But Actuar works closely with these families to ensure that they receive all the support that is available to them, whether it be financial advice, childcare (remember Las Olimpiadas?), or education. The goal is to create opportunity and agency for the residents of one of the poorest cities in Colombia, and they’ve made enormous differences for thousands of families (7,000 so far, in fact).
As part of this mission, they developed the aforementioned program Piso Saludable, translated literally as Healthy Floor, although I like to think of it more as a “Healthy Foundation.” With a literal and figurative strong foundation, these women are rebuilding their lives and providing better futures for their children.
What does it mean to you to have a floor beneath your feet? What else do you think makes up a “Healthy Foundation” for any family?
An organic garden named God’s Blessing
The owner of the garden and volunteers discussing her work
Laughing about arugula
La Cosecho – The Harvest
Welcome to “La Felicidad” — The Happiness
The owner of this garden told us with a smile: “The name of the garden is la felicidad mia“– my own happiness
The most joyful 83 year-old gardener I’ve ever met
The proud owner of this home and a brand new floor
… And the garden she keeps in her backyard to sell vegetables
Isabela and Juan eating boli and discussing the program
Learn more about Actuar Por Bolivar and microfinance with these great resources:
Another great bit of writing. I’ve never thought about the impact of such a seemingly insignificant thing as a floor before.
Thanks Edna. I’d never given it much thought before either, until hearing their stories. The floods were the worst part, I think.
This is such an inspiring post, Meg. Really, you should be so proud of yourself that you volunteer with some of the best projects.
Thanks Ceri, but honestly I didn’t do a whole lot but observe in awe! This organization does a great job and I was so glad to have seen it in action.
You’re so beautiful! I’m not speaking about your attractive features either. I’m referring to your selflessness and ability to find happiness in the things that you do. Your passion. Your loving personality. And not to mention your adventurous nature. I really enjoyed this post. I know so many without floors. I’ve always been grateful to have one. Having a floor to me means opportunity.
Paola, thank you for the kind words!
Wow. that is pretty cool. You have some amazing travels!
Wow. this is awesome! You have some pretty impressive travels!
Thanks Mr. Fed Up! It’s been a wild year. (:
Great post! Makes me appreciate the small things in life…. like a proper floor :-p
Me too, Arthur. It’s not something I ever thought much about, but when the little girl put it in the context of having a place where she could finally invite her friends over to sit and play, I saw it in a different light.
A very interesting post. Because I live in Africa, I’m accustomed to hearing about terrible poverty and lack of resources; I wish more people in South Africa could read about these Columbians who are prepared to DO something to improve their situation, instead of waiting for handouts from the Government; South Africa has a bad culture of ‘entitlement’ and not so much ‘get up & do it’, more’s the pity.
That is interesting, Alison. I’m sure you find a whole range of attitudes in both places. This community in Cartagena was lucky to have the support of a very well-funded organization, which gave them the means to apply their industriousness. I wonder if there are similar programs in South Africa?
Thank you so much for this amazing article. People nowadays are soaked by the worldliest matters, and yet we have people like these that live the simplest offers of life. It’s wonderful to reflect on what we have at the moment. Again, thank you for this excellent read!
I’m glad you liked it, Terence. I have to remind myself of this kind of stuff a lot now that I’ve returned to the US. Simplicity is a great goal in our hectic society!
We take for granted so many things. Posts like this are really eye-opening and inspirational.
The whole process was eye-opening for me too, Denise. Over the course of the past year, I’ve learned that so many of the little details of life that I take for granted are not so easy to come by for most people in the world. But what I did find in high supply was hope and strength, and I’ll continue to draw on that inspiration for the rest of my life.
You make me want to travel more 🙂
Do it, L.G.! 😉
Your stories and photos always blow me away. I don’t know of anything that could be more rewarding for a volunteer.
Thanks Loni!
Great post Meghan! Thanks for sharing and yes having a real floor beneath your feet is great.
Thanks Nicole! It’s certainly not something I think about on a daily basis (at least, I didn’t before learning about this program). Just one more thing we have to be grateful for. 🙂
Make sure you watch or record Half the Sky tonight and tomorrow on PBS! I can hardly wait to watch it.
I am SO excited to see it. I know it’s going to remind me of so many of the women I’ve worked with this year. Thanks for letting me know about it!
Thanks for the links. Great Blog
Thanks Anna!
That is an extraordinary tale – so inspirational. These women are awesome, and it is good to hear that they are being supported in this way.
Aren’t they great? I was so amazed by their high spirits and how much they seem to genuinely enjoy the work they do. Not a single complaint, just expressions of gratitude to the organization and God for all of their blessings. Now that is an attitude I need to adopt!
So do I! I really love how they transform their yards into proper vegetable gardens with beautiful names and decorations.