Green Apple Day of Service in Colombia: Caring for the Environment

Green Apple Day of Service in Colombia: Caring for the Environment 

Students in Risaralda plant a garden at their school. See more photos from the Green Apple Day of Service in Colombia on our Facebook page.
On September 19, more than 50 children and volunteers came together at the La Inmaculada, Agriculture College in Mistrato Municipality, Risaralda, to participate in a workshop to learn to take better care of themselves, their school and the environment. The event is part of a larger global movement, the Green Apple Day of Service, an initiative from the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council, supported by Global Communities, which brings together advocates from around the world and encourages them to take action in their communities through service projects at local schools. The Day of Service, now in its second year, provides an opportunity for students, teachers, parents, elected officials, organizations and companies to transform schools into healthy, safe, efficient places to learn.
A safe place to learn and live is particularly important to the children at La Inmaculada. Many of the children who live at the school during the week, are from the Embera community, an indigenous people who were displaced from their homeland in the jungle due to the violence which still plagues northwestern Colombia. The community was attacked on two different occasions by armed groups and had to flee their villages.
With funding from the Government of Colombia’s program of reparations for victims of violence, Global Communities has been working with the municipality to build temporary housing for the Embera until they can return home. As part of the project Global Communities worked to restore and furnish a dormitory at the school where students could live during the school week.
To celebrate the Green Apple Day of Service, Global Communities worked with the school to organize a workshop for the community to promote improved sanitation and hygiene and proper management of solid waste and maintenance of the new facilities. The students and community volunteers worked together to plant a garden and beautify the school grounds. They also constructed a mural to illustrate good hygiene habits.
Cristobal Perez, Construction Manager with Global Communities in Colombia, noted how wonderful it was to observe the pride of the young Embera students as they shared their culture and deep knowledge of ecology and respect for nature. “Although they live together on a daily basis, the local children really didn’t understand how the Embera lived in their homeland, it was an opportunity to share a new facet of their life with their classmates.” The municipality appreciated the support and will be working with the community and students to ensure the new facilities are well maintained.