We are Cerros de Cambio and we are tired of living in a country where a structural inequity system reduces the options available to people in poverty. Colombia, a country with a population of almost 50 million inhabitants, according to the National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE), 27% of the population is poor. This indicator rose slightly compared to 2017. This means that in the last year 190 thousand people entered the condition of poverty in Colombia, therefore there are 13 million poor in the country. Poverty is a huge problem in Colombia, that is why at Cerros de Cambio, our focus is on 14.000 people, the population of the Potosí neighborhood, located in one of the poorest areas of the Colombian capital. An area located on the outskirts of Bogotá, a place were many families migrated years ago because of the violence of the internal armed conflict in Colombia. They were looking for opportunities and a safer place for their families, but instead, they found a cruel indifference that left them in a vulnerable condition with many negative effects on their lives, such as violence, crime, insecurity, lack of opportunities, and more poverty. There are countless obstacles that make overcoming their condition of poverty an almost impossible task. Additionally, due to the limited options that exist, the population does not have access to decent work, a good health service, quality education, or good nutrition. According to the OECD, in Colombia, it takes 11 generations for a person to get out of poverty. One of the best and more durable ways to help vulnerable communities to escape the cycle of poverty is through education. In Colombia, more than 1.5 million children don't have access to education, which is one of the main tools to improve future opportunities for people that are currently in poverty.
