Creciendo Juntos (Growing Together) is working in Soacha, a very poor area on the outskirts of Bogota. All types of violence confront families living here – domestic, political, drug and gang-related. Creciendo Juntos began by working with the children and teens of families displaced by Colombia’s drug war who had settled there. Now there are many new refugees from Venezuela.

Creciendo Juntos provides a whole range of services for families in Soacha. For the many children in the neighborhood, they offer after-school activities, tutoring, and workshops focused on peace. For the children who have trouble buying even the most basic school supplies (none of which are provided by the schools), and especially for the children of new refugees from Venezuela, Creciendo Juntos is providing notebooks, regular and colored pencils, etc. Often they organize special events, like celebrating Mother’s Day and a field trip that allowed city children to fly kites. A recent event was Red Hands Day. The children created red hands as part of teaching them to deal with the frequent violence they face and the recruitment of children into armed groups.