Today is the third day of my trek through South America’s Colombia. It has been raining all day. Weather is usually nice here due to the equator having an effect on the climate, not having dramatic changes in season. We slowly drive through a small Colombian village, jam packed with hundreds of kids who are lining the streets. It’s a shame to know how many young children are suffering per day. In Colombia, poverty affects about 22 million Colombians, and 7.4 million of them live in extreme poverty (2). The guide who has been taking us around has told us that jobs are not easy to come by, leaving many families in extreme poverty. If an adult does find a job, they must completely provide for their families. In order to work long hours, parents must leave their older children to care for their younger children (6). Because of children being unattended, they begin to roam the streets, leading to child violence (6). Oh how sad all the children look, waiting for a chance to get a well-fed meal.
(Photo Courtesy of Luis Perez)
The crop in Colombia is abundant. As many people are aware, coffee bean growth is a main area of money income. Some other agricultural products include: bananas, rice, tobacco, corn, cocoa beans, vegetables and sugarcane (7). In 1965, 80 per cent of the rural population depended on agriculture for a livelihood, but in 2007 that figure had shrunk to 43 per cent (2). However, having land is a major problem in Colombia. I can definitely tell as we stroll through the village that land is hard to come by. Large landholders control significant areas of under-utilized land (2).
What surprises me the most about my trip so far is the issue of deforestation within the villages of Colombia. Villagers use many chemicals, pesticides, and sulfuric acid to turn the abundance of cocoa into cocaine (4). Coca producers, since 2008, have destroyed over five million acres of rain forest in the slash and burn method, trying to find cocoa beans (4). Can you imagine the damage that destroying that much rainforest can do to overall crop growth and economic gain? What a shame!
Well I am off to bed after a long days work. I can’t believe all the wonderful land we got to see today. It is absolutely compelling to know that such a beautiful land has so much famine and issues. I hope we get a shower tonight, although we got soaked all day today!
(1) Travel.State.Gov. Colombia. (2010)
(2) Rural Poverty Portal. Royal Poverty in Colombia. (2010)
(3) UNICEF. Colombia (2 March 2010)
(4) The Telegraph. Colombian drug cartels blamed for the destruction of rainforest. (2008)
(5) Findtarget Reference. Colombian People. (2010)
(6) Wide Horizons for Children. Humanitarian Aid In Colombia. (2010)
(7) The World Factbook. South America: Colombia. (2010)
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