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Good News from Natutama

Natütama made great progress in all areas in 2022 – a major recovery after the devastating effects of Covid and disastrous weather in the previous two years. The environmental charity is based in Puerto Nariño, in the Colombian Amazon. It works closely with schools and the local community to conserve and care for the very delicate ecosystems of the Amazon river and shores and the endangered species that struggle to survive in the unique environment. Local staff also manage the Natütama Education Centre – very badly damaged in the floods and storms of the previous year – and supervises monitoring of endangered species such as manatees, river dolphins and sloths by local fishermen.

“After two years of adjusting to Covid conditions, Natütama had a very productive year in 2022. Following re-roofing and re-painting early in the year, the Interpretation Centre received over 4000 visitors and, after a gap of 2 years, once again brought in enough income to cover Centre guiding and other outgoings.” reports founder and director Sarita Kendall.

With schools re-opening, essential repairs completed on the Education Centre (partly funded by your generous donations through Children of Colombia), the revival of tourism and numbers of local wildlife on the increase, 2022 was a very positive year for Natütama. Congratulations to all the local staff who work so hard to promote conservation in this very special region of Colombia.

You can read the whole report here

 

 

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Nothing in Moderation – Prue Leith’s UK Tour

Businesswoman, restaurateur, cordon bleu trained chef, author and star of “The Great British Bake Off” TV programme, Dame Prue Leith’s latest venture – and adventure – is a UK-wide tour of her new one-woman show  ‘Nothing in Moderation’.  The show opens in Shrewsbury on 1 Feb and Prue will be taking it to venues around the country until the 6th April.

A longstanding supporter of Children of Colombia, Prue says:

“I have never done a stage show before and at 82 I’m probably nuts to try it, but it’s huge fun, makes the audience laugh and lets me rant away about the restaurant trade, publishers, TV and writing, and sing the praises of food, love and life.”

You can read more about Prue, find recipes, books and articles on fashion and gardening on her own website Prue Leith (prue-leith.com)

Tour dates and tickets are available from https://www.mickperrin.com/tours/prue-leith-nothing-in-moderation/

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Support us this winter for FREE

Help us enter Give as you Live Online’s £10,000 Giveaway before 31st December 2022

Supporting Children of Colombia couldn’t be simpler this winter thanks to Give as you Live Online’s winter giveaway, and here’s how you can take part.

Give as you Live Online are giving you the chance to earn a £10 bonus donation on top of the regular free donations you can raise by using their free shopping tool. When you sign up to support Children of Colombia on Give as you Live Online and complete 3 fund-raising shops by the end of the year, they’ll pay us a bonus £10 donation.

Plus, when you use Give as you Live Online, you’ll raise a free donation with almost every purchase you make at over 6,000 stores, including John Lewis & Partners, Argos, Sainsbury’s, Wilko and Booking.com.

For example, if you were to click through Give as you Live Online to do your monthly grocery shopping at Sainsbury’s, you could raise up to 7.5%* of your spend back as a free donation for us. Based on a click and collect shop of £100 per month, you could raise an extra £35 a year for us, for free! Plus, there’s no limit to how much you can raise.

Getting the free £10 donation

Signing up is easy:

  • Click the button below to be taken to our charity page on Give as you Live Online, and click ‘Sign up’
  • Sign up for an account. You’ll only need to provide your name and email address
  • Complete 3 shops by the end of December. As well as a £10 bonus donation, you’ll earn a donation on each shop.

Button:

https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/childrenofcolombia?utm_source=charitytoolkit&utm_content=648700&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=CT10kGiveawayCampaign

Full Terms and Conditions can be found here.

*Calculation of £35 a year is based on 1 £100 shop as a new customer using click and collect at 7.5%, and 11 subsequent shops as an existing customer using click and collect at 2.5%. Rates are subject to change at retailer’s discretion.

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Raise free funds for Children of Colombia when you do your Christmas shopping with give as you live

Your Christmas Shopping Can Raise Free Funds with Give As You Live

Every purchase you make this Black Friday and throughout the festive season could earn us a free donation, thanks to @giveasyoulive:

💸 It’s free
📱 There’s a handy app
🛍️ There are over 6,000 stores!

Sign up to support us now >
style=”margin: 0;”>https://giveasyoulive.com/join/childrenofcolombia?utm_source=charityfr&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=FR_222022&utm_content=141122

https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/childrenofcolombia?utm_source=charitytoolkit&utm_content=648700&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=CTChristmasShoppingCampaign

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Congratulations Alex for Completing the Noosa Triathlon

Congratulations to Alex Raikes who successfully completed the challenging Noosa Triathlon in Queensland, Australia last Sunday.

To date Alex’s effort raised almost £1000 for Children of Colombia.  You can still make a donation on her Just Giving page Alexandra Raikes is fundraising for Children Of Colombia (justgiving.com)

Alex was born in Bogotá, Colombia where she spent her early years and still has family and friends and the charity Children of Colombia is very close to her heart.  Alex has been a Trustee since 2018 and continues to support the charity since moving to Australia.

Noosa is one of Australia’s top holiday destinations with beautiful beaches and countryside.  The Noosa Triathlon is a major challenge to fitness, personal stamina and determination.  Alex had to swim 1.5 km in Laguna Bay off Noosa Main Beach – avoiding sea turtles, sharks and other competitors in her first open water race.  A 40 km bike ride followed through the countryside behind the resort including a very tough two kilometer hill climb which needed serious let power. Last came a 10km run along Noosa Parade with supporters cheering and encouraging the competitors all the way to the finishing line.

Well done Alex – a fantastic achievement and a huge thank you from everyone at Children of Colombia.  Your fundraising will help give sick and poor children and young people in Colombia a better start in life.

 

 

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Getting Ready for the Garmin Noosa Triathlon

Children of Colombia Trustee Alex Raikes is getting ready to take part in the Garmin Noosa Triathlon tomorrow in sunny Queensland, Australia.

Alex, who was born in Bogotá and spent her childhood there, is raising funds for Children of Colombia.  This is her first Triathlon and will be a huge challenge – especially the swimming section as Alex has not done a lot of swimming since leaving school and has little experience of open water swimming.  And hopefully avoiding the sharks!

Visit Alex’s Just Giving page https://justgiving.com/fundraising/alexandra-raikes1to send messages of support and donations ahead of tomorrow’s big event.  Watch this page to see how she gets on.

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Trustee Alex ran the London Marathon to raise funds for Children of Colombia

Alex enters Aussie Triathlon to raise funds for Children of Colombia

Trustee Alex Raikes is entering the Noosa Triathlon in Queensland, Australia this weekend to raise funds for the charity.  You can support her via her Just Giving page : http://www.justgiving.com/Alexandra-Raikes1

A keen runner and longstanding supporter of Children of Colombia, Alex has previously run the London Marathon and done a Tough Mudder challenge.  Both raised awareness of the charity and much needed sponsorship money to help the charities’ work on the ground in Bogotá and the Amazon.  But this is the first time Alex has attempted a Triathlon.  She says:

“This will be my first triathlon and it has been a huge challenge getting ready for it! Very sore legs and arms!

“It will be a 1.5km open ocean swim (hopefully avoiding all the sharks), a 40km cycle and then a 10km run.

“Before moving to Australia I hadn’t done much swimming since school and certainly not open water swimming! It has been quite a challenge to get comfortable in the open ocean and especially a fairly long distance! I’m definitely most worried about this leg.”

A pinnacle event on the Australian sporting calendar, the Garmin Noosa tri is ranked one of the world’s top 10 triathlons. “When the best athletes, biggest competitor field, beautiful beach-side vibe and week-long festivities of Noosa all come together, there’s nowhere else you’ll want to be,” says the Triathlon website.  Alex had hoped to complete the challenge earlier but the event was delayed due to Covid.  Now she is entering with a group of friends.

Alex spent most of her childhood years in Bogotá, Colombia before moving to the UK and still has friends and family there. Alex currently lives and works in Australia but visits her family and friends in the UK and Colombia regularly.

“I have chosen to compete in aid of Children for Colombia as Colombia will always hold a big part of my heart and I am grateful for the amazing work that the three charities we support do. I am hoping that any money that I’m able to raise, will go towards helping improve lives in my wonderful home country.”

Click on the link below to find out more or make a donation in support of Alex’s Noosa Triathlon.

http://www.justgiving.com/Alexandra-Raikes1

 

Repair Work Progressing Well at Natutama

 

Repair work on Fundacíon Natütama’s Education Centre in the Colombian Amazon has made great progress as these pictures show.

Thanks to fantastic support following our Christmas 2021 appeal, Children of Colombia supporters provided funds for major repairs to the education centre which had fallen into serious disrepair due to bad weather, lack of income during the Covid pandemic and the effects of time and climate on the mainly natural construction materials.

Money raised by Children of Colombia provided 800 woven palm leaves, nails and twine for the new roofing, payments for local workmen skilled in traditional construction techniques and paint and materials for the wonderful, bright new artwork on the floor of the roundhouse.

The education centre is used by visitors, the local community and local children to share information about conservation of endangered species of plants and animals in the delicate ecosystems of the Amazon rainforest and waterways.  Bright artwork and models illustrate the lifecycles and habitat of manatees, river dolphins, turtles and other species that are only found in this area of the world and rely on conservation of their habitat for survival.

With all major repairs now complete, the Natütama team can carry on with their important educational activities in their bright, waterproof and refurbished centre in Puerto Nariño.

 

 

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Thank you Dede Tailoring and Customers!

We’d like to give a very big thank you to the owners of Dede Tailoring Boutique and their customers for filling our collection box to the brim with cash donations for Children of Colombia.

Dede Tailoring Boutique offers top class dry cleaning and tailoring services at 4 Lyndwood Parade, St Luke’s Road, Old Windsor, Berkshire.  They have kept a Children of Colombia collection pot on their counter and raised a whopping £121.71 in notes and coins.  This is a record amount for our collection boxes and will be an important boost to funds for the three foundations in Colombia who do so much to care for and educate children and young people.

If you live in the Windsor area, do look out for Dede Tailoring and support them – as they support us!

Rico and his mother Mrs Kahlon have already received a new collection box in the post – their third to date! – to keep their amazing efforts going.

Thank you again.

 

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newly repaired roof on Natutama'senvironmental education centre in the Colombian Amazon

Natutama’s New Roof

This is the amazing and beautiful new roof on Natutama‘s roundhouse – or Kiosk – in the Colombian Amazon.  Funding for the repairs to Natutama’s environmental education and visitor centre were made possible thanks to generous donations to Children of Colombia’s Christmas Appeal – so a huge THANK YOU to all of you who kindly supported our campaign.

The roof is made of natural palm thatch and built by local craftsmen using traditional construction methods.  Now the team will start work on the floor of the building which was damaged by rain and weather when it was left unprotected from the elements.  The floor will be repainted with bright patterns of local flora and fauna, including many rare and endangered species native to the Amazon.  The centre is used to host community events and for weekly educational activities for local children keen to learn more about their environment and culture and how to protect themfor future generations.

damaged floor to be repaired at Natutama's environmental education centre in the Colombian Amazon

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