“Corazón sin Fronteras” present among vulnerable communities in Bogotá

Following the call of the XXII General Chapter, which asks the Marists to “walk with the children and young people who live on the margins of life”, the brothers of Colombia (Province of Norandina) opened the social work “Corazón sin Fronteras – Santa Fe” in Bogotá in April 2023. The work is carried out by the Marist Solidarity Team of the country, and is supported, in turn, by the brothers of the Marist community of Bogota.

Currently, “Corazón sin Fronteras – Santa Fe” (Heart without Borders) benefits and welcomes 60 migrant and internally displaced children, 40 families in vulnerable situations and 20 single mothers – victims of different types of violence. Two educators work in this project (one a project leader and one in pedagogical support), a Marist volunteer, and some brothers from Bogotá.

The project “Corazón sin Fronteras – Santa Fe” works jointly with the other Marist projects in Colombia: “Corazón sin Fronteras – Maicao (since 2019), Santa María de la Torre – Medellin, and San Marcelino Champagnat in the outskirts of Bogotá.

This Marist project was born from the initiative of the brothers to resume the project “Corazón sin Fronteras – Bogotá”, which began in 2017 and closed its doors in 2020 due to the pandemic. Before opening a new project, the Marist brothers carried out a feasibility and mapping study in 2022 to identify the needs and locations of migrant families. The study revealed that the Santa Fe neighborhood in downtown Bogotá, Colombia, was home to many migrant families in need. Based on this survey, the national solidarity area supported by the provincial councilors visited this area, where they made contact with the EUDES Foundation and the Casa del Refugio, who supported the interviews and tracking of the needs of migrant women and families, mainly Venezuelans. And this is how a “Heart without Borders – Santa Fe” was born.

This project is structured around three lines of attention: the first, school strengthening by developing academic skills and promoting hygiene and study habits; the second, spiritual strengthening that promotes resilience, self-care, self-love and the Marist charisma, creating an environment of love and mutual support; the third, Socio-Cultural, promoting cultural diversity and personal identification through art and manual expressions.

International Aid

The “Heart without Borders” project is supported mainly by the community of Marist Brothers in Colombia, who finance the social works of solidarity. It also has a line of project management and fundraising to guarantee the sustainability and significance of the program. To date, it has received support from Misean Cara through FMSI and the city council of Fuenlabrada through SED Spain.

One of the greatest challenges of the social work has been the consistency and permanence of migrant families, as well as their involvement in the work processes with their children. Currently, there are 50 children permanently present, although this number is expected to grow. On the other hand, strategic alliances have been established with different institutions, such as the school of the Sisters of the Presentation, who provide the physical infrastructure where the social work is located.

Each benefit provided by the project, such as school reinforcement, spiritual and socio-cultural development, and food, in a safe home environment for children, contributes to the transformation of the realities of violence faced in the tolerance zone of downtown Bogotá, being a light of hope and solidarity for migrant and vulnerable families.