T R AV E L
Opportunity goes international Off to Colombia and a firsthand look at micro-finance By Bill Dougherty When Bogotá, Colombia, comes to mind you are perhaps reminded of Glenn Frey’s 1980s hit song “Smuggler’s Blues” and the political and drug unrest that ravaged not only that city but the country for decades. That was then, this is now. Bogotá and the rest of Colombia have changed radically in the last 10 years. The drug traffic and its violent cartels, once notorious in the beautiful country, are now just a distant bad dream. Most have moved to Venezuela, where they have been welcomed by the dictator Hugo Chavez. My wife and I were recently invited by Opportunity International to tour their Colombian operations. It was truly a trip that changed our lives and one I would recommend highly to anyone interested in putting an end to poverty. Cindy Schwab-Salem led the group of Phoenicians, some of whom have been on the organization’s other trips to places like Kenya. The organization, which has been in existence for 30 years now, gives micro-finance loans to women and men in developing countries with the goal of diminishing poverty around the globe. Through education, training and Christian motivation, the group has succeeded where others have failed. Their work uses a hand up, rather than a hand out, and is simply amazing. We arrived early, before the tour actually started in Bogotá. With an entire day to explore, we set our sights on the city and all it had to offer. Vendors filled the bustling streets and rain fell off and on. American tourism is almost nonexistent. We were probably the only Americans walking the wet streets, something apparent as Colombians stared at our white tennis shoes and my wife, Beth’s, blonde hair. Blankets lined the sidewalks, with what looked like broken 7Up bottle chips on small pillows. They were actually mined emeralds, both raw and polished. Their abundance was staggering. Wool ponchos could be found hanging in every store and everyone wore chic dark blue jeans accessorized with everything from blazers to spiked boots, or black from head to toe. (Hey, New York City is calling and wants its look back!) Maybe that’s why we looked so stupid in our tour-friendly tennis shoes. The food was stupendous. Everywhere we stopped gourmet food indigenous to Colombia and from far away countries seemed abundant. We were quite pleasantly surprised. Early next morning we gathered for a quick breakfast orientation and then we were off. Within minutes we were out of the posh surroundings of our hotel and in the depths of poverty. Jim Frantz, with Opportunity International Colombia, served as our local expert
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