New Film on PC in Colombia Will Premiere

A new film celebrating the Peace Corps in Colombia is currently being produced to premiere in connection with the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Susan Koch, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, recently returned from Colombia, where she filmed current volunteers in Santa Marta, Barranquilla, and Cartagena. She also documented projects that were started in the country by returned Colombia volunteers. These include Paso a Paso, The Magdalena Foundation Scholars, and The Colombia Project.

A local organization, Fundehumac, with generous support from The Colombia Project (begun by Colombia RPCV Helene Dudley) has provided and overseen micro-credit loans to hundreds of displaced persons. The film will feature a woman from the indigenous Wayuu community of La Guajira who received a micro-credit loan to help build a successful weaving business, enabling her to provide for her family, send her children to school, and own a home for the first time.

After a nearly 30-year absence, the first group of nine new Colombia volunteers was warmly welcomed back to the country in the fall of 2010. Among the volunteers currently in Colombia is Phil Giesen, who first served in Bogotá and Boyacá in the 1960s.

Another volunteer, Nicole Cavlovich, has a very moving and inspiring story. She was born in Medellín and adopted as a baby by a family in Kansas City, Missouri. Now, as a PCV in Colombia, Nicole says, “Everything has come full circle, where I am now able to serve in the country that I came from. [C]oming to Colombia is truly everything I ever wanted.”

All of the current volunteers are working to improve the level of bilingualism (Spanish-English) along the coast, working closely with English instructors in the schools to develop effective teaching skills and techniques. The country has set an ambitious goal to be completely bilingual by 2019.

Also interviewed for the film is Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who fondly recalls having a volunteer live with his family in the 1960s. For President Santos, the return of the Peace Corps represents a positive development in U.S.- Colombia relations. He observes, “The fact that they now want to return is a very positive signal of how not only the perception but the reality of Colombia has changed. This is another channel where we can strengthen our relations.”

Other former volunteers featured in the film include journalist Maureen Orth, whose foundation has three One Laptop per Child schools in Antioquia, Congressman Sam Farr, and FOC Board President Arleen Cheston, one of the founders of the Paso a Paso project. The Peace Corps is aiding in the financing of the film, which is also seeking further contributions.

Please consider contributing as an individual or collectively with your Colombia group. Tax-exempt donations can be sent to Marina Orth Foundation, 4907 Rockwood Parkway, Washington, D.C. 20016. The film will premiere this July in conjunction with the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and will also be able to be seen during the Peace Corps 50th Anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C. in September, as well as a wide range of online sites. You will be proud!