A second chance

Diana Pinzón took control of her life again. Thanks to the support of our project, she recovered from losing her father and no longer led the fear of violence rule her life.

Deadly violence

Diana Pinzón's life to a turn for the worse on 30 Augustus 2011. On that day, her father was murdered by an armed gang. She was barely eleven years old at the time. Deadly violence is a plague in Colombia. Different parts of the country are controlled by criminal gangs that live off extortion and drug trade. In these regions, it is very difficult to protect your territory, work, culture and freedom.

Major loss

"My family and I were submerged in intense sadness. It was very difficult to get over," Diana says. "My father was our rock and refuge. But we weren't the only ones having to deal with this in the neighbourhood. Many families already lost a loved one due to violence."

Education and development

Diana lives together with her mother and younger sister in La Palestina; a coffee plantation in Coromoro, a municipality in the region of Santander. Diana is one of the hundred young people that are part of the ‘Education for the Future in Santander’ project of Collibri Foundation and Efico Foundation. To this end, they work together with the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia and two local training centres.

Reconstruction

"Thanks to the 'Education for the Future' project in Santander, I succeeded to leave that black period in my life behind me", Diana explains. "Thanks to the many workshops and group projects, I learned that it is absolutely possible to work together with people. I now realise that crime should no longer rule your life. I currently have 2000 coffee plants thanks to this project. In order to take care of everything, I can rely on my mother, who helps me grow the plants and caring for them."

Taking control of life again

"I want to thank all employees for the opportunity they gave us. My family and I discovered that we were not alone. We felt the warmth of the community and those helping us. This was a prime opportunity to take back control of my life again."

Collibri Foundation

Address

Colruyt Group
Edingensesteenweg 196
1500 Halle

Phone

+32 (0)2 363 55 45
during office hours

Mail

info@collibrifoundation.org

KBO 0753.616.160