A Short History of Paso a Paso

In 2007 Arleen Cheston, President of Friends of Colombia, returned to the coast of Colombia, where she had served as a volunteer from 1964– 66. The purpose of the trip was to participate in a college scholarship award ceremony for The Magdalena Foundation (FOC provides support for their college scholarship program).

While in Santa Marta, Cheston became aware of the great numbers of children in the streets. She wondered why they weren’t in school. She was told that they could not afford the school enrollment fee, the books, the uniforms, the shoes, and the school supplies required to attend school. Because of guerilla activities in nearby areas around Santa Marta, the city had become inundated with families uprooted from their rural homes.

When Arleen returned home to Washington, D.C., she proposed an idea to the Friends of Colombia board: that FOC provide funds so that some of the children could attend school. She discussed how it might be done with Haroldo Suárez, President of The Magdalena Foundation. Suárez conferred with Alba Lucía Varela Moreno, President of Fundehumac, an NGO currently working in Santa Marta with displaced persons. As a result of these discussions, Friends of Colombia was able to develop a very small pilot program to fund two children, selected by Fundehumac, to attend elementary school. Fundehumac administered the project, which was named Paso a Paso.

It was decided that as a precaution, families should not receive funds directly. School uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and school supplies were provided for each student by Fundehumac, which also paid enrollment and book fees directly to the schools.

It became obvious very soon that students and their families would need support in other ways. The families would have to take responsibility for their role in the learning process of their children. Some students would need tutoring.

The strength of this program was in the interrelationship of The Magdalena Foundation with its college scholars program, and Fundehumac with their Paso a Paso program. Under the college scholars program, students are required to work in community outreach while receiving a scholarship. Some of them tutored Paso a Paso students and also worked with their families. It was a natural fit.

Requests from the community to enroll their children in the Paso a Paso program were immediate and many. Fundehumac was able to stretch its funds, add funds from other sources, and find a person to volunteer to make the uniforms. The program was then expanded to include six children instead of the original two.

The Paso a Paso program has grown and now includes 33 students. Two of them received a Magdalena Foundation college scholarship this year as a result of a generous gift by Colombia One RPCVs. The program impacts more than the 33 enrollees as siblings are also tutored and activities for the families are provided. Magdalena Foundation scholars continue to work with Paso a Paso families to provide them with social services to ensure that the entire family is involved.

FOC’s goal now is to be able to create a fund to provide college scholarships for the Paso a Paso students as they graduate from secondary school. It costs about $1,000 per year for a college student to attend the university and it usually requires five years to graduate. To this end, FOC has created the Paso a Paso College Scholarship Fund.

Friends of Colombia is grateful to The Magdalena Foundation and Fundehumac for the creation and administration of this program. FOC looks to its membership and Colombian RPCVs for continued financial support. Donors may choose to sponsor a student for the duration of their college education or make a donation to Friends of Colombia, P.O. Box 15292, Chevy Chase, MD 20825.

--Ned Chalker