Villa Maria’s prevalent drug culture

Article from the BBC:

Armed groups of drug-traffickers have overtaken left-wing rebels as Colombia's main source of violence, local think tank Indepaz says.

The groups have emerged since the demobilisation of the illegal United Self Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitaries.

The think tank says they are present in 29 of Colombia's 32 provinces.

The demobilisation of the AUC in 2006 was one of the main successes of former President Alvaro Uribe, who left office in August.

But Indepaz said a dozen or so new narco-paramilitary groups had quickly replaced the AUC in much of Colombia.

With names like the Black Eagles and Rastrojos, they combine control of cocaine production and smuggling with extreme violence, though with less of a political agenda.

Indepaz estimates they have as many as 13,000 members. You can read the full article on the BBC website.

Colombia’s problem with their thriving drug culture highlights the importance of Quest4Change’s work in one of the world’s largest shanty towns, Villa Maria in Peru. For 14 years, we have worked hard to break the vicious cycle of the resident’s poverty stricken lives, by keeping the children of Villa Maria off the streets and away from the ubiquitous allure of drugs.

As with many areas that fall below the poverty line, the presence of drugs in Villa Maria is an enduring problem. The long hours the adults need to work in order to provide enough food for the family means parental control is a luxury the residents of Villa Maria cannot afford. As a result vulnerable children often become victims of drug abuse whilst roaming the streets with nothing to do.

The shanty town of Villa Maria

Quest4Change offers these children a range of activities to get involved in during their summer holidays. This project seeks to increase community bonding and cut down the amount of time the children spend on the streets.

Children enjoying the summer holiday activities

In term time, the Quest school, that Quest4Change are currently attempting to raise money to expand, helps to keep the children off the streets whilst their parents work. Education also increases the children’s future options and chances of escaping the poverty stricken, drug ridden world of Villa Maria.

The Quest school

To learn how you can make a difference to these children’s lives or to simply find out more about the work Quest4Change do, please click here.