As Hurricanes Iota makes landfall just weeks after another devastating storm, these One Young World Ambassadors have already begun to mobilise efforts to aid Colombia's worst hit areas. Learn more about their relief work and how you can support their operations.
Jenifer Colpas - Tierra Grata
Tierra Grata is a social enterprise which provides access to water, energy and sanitation services for rural communities through the use of social technologies. They offer a women-led, decentralised, low cost, and easy-to-install solution that provides customers with a comfortable and dignified space for hygiene and sanitation. The solution Tierra Grata installs saves up to 68 thousand litres of water per year, and avoids the contamination of surface and underground water sources. In addition, by receiving a controlled and accelerated treatment of organic waste, clients have a significantly improved quality of life.
In Colombia, 4% of the population does not have access to electricity, or have poor quality access. Meanwhile, 14% of Colombians do not have water coverage, and 30% of the inhabitants in Colombia do not have access to safe sanitation. Tackling this sanitation challenge, Jenifer and Tierra Grata have provided over 200 installations which have improved the health, hygiene and general livelihoods of approximately 1,800 users.
Maria Alejandra Tellez - ClimaLab
Maria Alejandra is the Executive Director of Climalab and a consultant for The World Bank. Climalab is an NGO made up of an interdisciplinary team with the mission of preventing and mitigating climate change via education, communication, art and research. They work as a laboratory of ideas and solutions to climate change on local, national and international levels.
You can make your donation to buy food from local producers in Chocó or donate masks and handling gloves required in 15 health centres of the department #ElChocóTeNecesita.
Lucero Muñoz - Fundación Catalina Muñoz
Fundación Catalina Muñoz builds prefabricated houses for marginalised people in St. Andres. They want to generate a positive impact on the quality of life of communities in socially and economically vulnerable conditions through socially focused projects, strategic alliances and youth/corporate volunteer programs.
They are currently receiving non-perishable food, grooming kits, clothing for children, adults. You can also support them with an economic contribution to help them start working on rebuilding San Andrés. You can also contribute your time as a volunteer to help collect donations in kind, support in the creation of digital content: the creation of campaigns, videos, audiovisual pieces, infographics, dissemination.
Leopoldo Forero, Sofia Vargas, Isabel Otoya, Lorenzo Gallo and Antonia Arango - Resilient Providence, a campaign by COL5VID
With Hurricane Iota, 98% of the infrastructure of Old Providence Island, Colombia was completely damaged or severely affected. As young people wanting to help, COL5VID created a campaign that seeks to collect funds for the reconstruction of the homes of locals in a sustainable manner, whilst maintaining their original tropical essence.
To be able to receive donations from all over the world, they created a GoFundMe linked to the account of 'Give To Colombia', an American registered non-profit (501(c)(3)). 'Give To Colombia' later directs those funds to Colombia to the Fundación Antioquia Presente, who are in charge of the execution and management of resources of the project StandUp Providencia Renace.