Our compassion child for July is a 7-year-old boy named Maurico who lives in the coastal community of Ciudadela Metropolitana-Soledad Atlantico, Columbia. Maurico has been waiting for a sponsor for over six months, and you can become his sponsor for as little as $38 a month. Since Maurico has been waiting so long for a sponsor he has been classified “high priority,” a credit card is required as payment.
Personal and Family Information:
Mauricio lives with his father and his mother. His duties at home include making beds and running errands. There are 2 children in the family. His father is employed and his mother maintains the home.
As part of Compassion’s ministry, Mauricio participates in Bible class. He is also in pre-school where his performance is average. Soccer, hide-and-seek and playing group games are his favorite activities.
Please remember Mauricio in your prayers. Your love and support will help him to receive the assistance he needs to grow and develop.
Community and Project Information:
Mauricio lives in the coastal community of Ciudadela Metropolitana-Soledad Atlantico, home to approximately 13,000 residents. Typical houses are constructed of cement floors and brick walls. The regional diet consists of maize, chicken, fish, plantains, rice and yucca.
Common health problems in this area include diarrhea, viruses, infections, flu and fevers. Most adults work in domestic services and earn the equivalent of $147 per month. This community has medical centers but needs schools, libraries, vocational training centers, employment opportunities and parks.
Your sponsorship allows the staff of CDI Jesús Mi Capitan to provide Mauricio with Bible classes, nutritious food, medical and dental care, vaccinations, sports, birthday celebrations, field trips and academic support. The center staff will also provide conferences and spiritual workshops for the parents or guardians of Mauricio.
Country Information:
Surrounded by the Andes Mountains, Colombia’s terrain ranges from the cooler highlands to the tropical coast along the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean. Vast stretches of lowlands east of the mountains are thinly populated and only partially explored.
Two of Colombia’s main exports are coffee and oil, though drug trafficking is a serious problem. About 73 percent of the population is urban, and most Colombians are Catholic. The racial makeup includes mestizos (Spanish and Native American), Europeans, those of black and white ancestry, and those of black and Native American ancestry. Spanish is the official language. Compassion works in Colombia’s most populated northern regions.
Since its liberation from Spain in the early 19th century, Colombia has violently struggled to find its identity. In 1886, Colombia established its first constitution, which was modified and updated in 1991. The document established the basic present-day government structure consolidating the central government, ending rivalries among political factions, and creating the oldest democracy in Latin America. Yet peaceful coexistence among the multiethnic and multiparty groups in this country remains elusive. Despite a growing sense of confidence in the economy helped in part by a free trade agreement with the United States, Colombia resides in a perpetual state of political and social turmoil. Warring factions have battled for control since independence. Thousands of political figures have been massacred, and paramilitary groups that formed have installed a legacy of terrorism that ravages the country today. The National Front brought a measure of stability in the 1960s, but for all the gains made, Colombia is still plagued by political corruption, drug wars, guerrilla activity and terrorist violence.
Child’s Location:
Northwest of Barranquilla
