Thanks to a citizenship action carried out in the Bellavista neighborhood of Yumbo, the community says it feels an atmosphere of union, peace and tolerance. Summary of a day full of smiles and color.
In theBellavista neighborhood, Commune 4 of Yumbo, a few weeks ago a day of unity, peace and tolerance was experienced, whose echo is still perceived in its steep streets. This, at least, was explained by Jessica, territorial liaison of the Forjar Oportunidades program, an ally of Compromiso Valle.
"As a liaison it is satisfying to be part of a program that promotes bonding, peace and unity in the territory. What we did with the young forgers was to identify a problem, in this case intolerance in the sector, and after coordination we decided to carry out different activities that would allow the community to meet in harmony," said Jessica.
And he said he hopes that "what took place that day will be a step so that the forgers can take more leadership in their territory and can articulate and seek ways to continue promoting love, respect and tolerance".
The commitment of the smiths
Tolerance is meeting each other in our differences'. This was the message that was captured on a colorful wall in the Bellavista neighborhood, after the citizenship action carried out with the support of Smurfit Kappa Foundation.
Stephania, a forger who is training as a muralist, arrived in the neighborhood at 8:30 a.m. and immediately began working on the mural. She first painted the background blue and then began to prepare the colors: black, light blue, mint green, red, orange and yellow. A group of forgers supported her and little by little other hands joined her.
"This is art that anyone can see, but beyond that it is a gift to create a sense of belonging in this neighborhood and in this municipality that needs it so much. What we tried to do was to give a message of encouragement, we want tolerance to be born from all the children who see this mural," said Stephania, who dreams of filling Yumbo with color.
The activity was also attended by forgers Angie and Daniela, who gave a summary of what happened in the Bellavista neighborhood. "We had everything on this day: bingo, crafts for children at the Carlos A. Bejarano Library, vaccination. In my house, for example, we had lunch and a community pot. At 11:50 a.m. we started serving beans with rice and salad, plus aguapanela with lemon, more or less for a hundred people," said Angie.
For Daniela, the day began with a lot of nerves, but in the end the satisfaction of a job well done left her with many joys: "I was afraid that the activity would not go well, but thank God everything turned out great. Now I hope that in the commune and in the whole municipality there will be more unity and commitment".
It has been a long time since this area of Yumbo has seen so many children playing, laughing, and the whole community happy. Perhaps because of the issue of invisible borders and disputes between gangs, "but these types of actions help a lot to improve the issues of coexistence".
The community, which gained the most from the activity
Now, every time Alejandra and her family open their store, located in a corner of the Bellavista neighborhood, they will be faced with that colorful mural that speaks of the importance of tolerance.
"I am happy. This activity has favored me because of my business, but also the block because it gives life to it, the wall was recovered and this is bringing the community together more and more," Alejandra said.
Today, along the steep streets of the Bellavista neighborhood and many others in the municipality of Yumbo, the message of unity, peace and tolerance continues to be felt.
