admin, Author at Children of Colombia

Runners and supporters after the 2019 ASICS 10K London Run which raised £1500 for Children of Colombia

Congratulations to the Children of Colombia Team in the ASICS London 10k!

Liam Thomas (left) and Richard Cossell (3rd from right) enjoy a well earned rest with friends and family in St James’s Park after running the ASICS London 10K to raise money for Children of Colombia on Sunday 21 July.

Liam finished in a very good time of 51 minutes and Richard was very close behind over the finish line in 58 minutes. Children of Colombia Secretary Gwyneth Simmons also ran and came in at a more sedate 1hr 10mins and joined the group in the park for a delicious pic-nic provided by Natalia.

A great day out running past some of London’s top landmarks – the Embankment, the London Eye, Westminster, Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square – and a great result for the children in Colombia as the team raised almost £1500. A huge THANK YOU to the runners and everyone who supported them.

There’s still time to make a donation – either through Just Giving (click the button at the top of any page on our website or type in any of the runners’ names to get to their pages) or direct to Children of Colombia on our How You Can Help page.

ASICS London 10K 2019 - three runners sponsored Children of Colombia

Fenix Helps Talented Student to Success

Fenix Director Timothy Ross writes from Bogota, Colombia of the extraordinary achievement of one of the foundation’s students:

“Last year Oriana’s father became seriously ill and unemployed, the family income plummeted and her parents had to give up their home and move in with relatives. Fundación Social Fénix supported Oriana with Saturday tuition and the fees for a scholarship preparation course and the public exam, helping her to gain a place for a degree in Community Education and Human Rights. Her first semester´s marks have just arrived with an extremely high average of over 86%. We are very proud of her.”

Congratulations Oriana from all at Children of Colombia. Our team is running in the ASICS London 10K this Sunday to help give young people like Oriana from very poor and disadvantaged backgrounds a chance to make a better future for themselves.

Please support us and follow our progress on our Just Giving pages:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/gwyneth-simmons

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/liam-thomas17

Royal Academy of Engineering staff held a plant sale to raise funds for Children of Colombia charity

Engineering Success for Wellbeing Plant Sale!

Thank you to all at the Royal Academy of Engineering who supported the Plant Sale to raise funds for Children of Colombia and especially Wellbeing Ambassador Katie Draper.

Katie writes:

“Well done for everyone who came along to the Wellbeing Plant Sale. Not only do we now have loads of little green friends around the office but we raised an incredible £84 (with more to come!) for Children of Colombia.”

A great effort and there will be more smiling faces in Colombia when our charities receive the next remittance of funds. Fundacion Natutama will be the first to support the green fingered team. Natutama is dedicated to educating local communities in the Colombian Amazon about protecting the wonderful, delicate eco-sytems of their environment, home to unique flora and fauna such as the manatee and pink dolphin and the giant ceiba tree.

Engineering Plant Sale for Children of Colombia

A huge thank you to the well being team and its colleagues at the Royal Academy of Engineering, London, who organised a plant sale on 27 June and raised almost £90 for Children of Colombia. This is a great boost to funds and a fun way to share gardening expertise and raise awareness of the charity.

The London based Royal Academy of Engineering was founded in 1976 and is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The organisation focuses on making the UK the leading nation for engineering innovation, addressing the engineering skills and diversity challenge and positioning engineering at the heart of society. is the UK’s national academy of engineering.

Children of Colombia Trustee Antonia Bonilla was appointed Corporate Partnerships Manager at the Royal Academy of Engineering earlier this year.

Prue Leith at The Oxford Festival of the Arts

Chef, author, business woman and broadcaster Prue Leith is appearing at The Oxford Festival of the Arts this week.

Widely known as a presenter and judge on the popular C4 series The Great British Bake Off, Prue has given several talks in aid of Children of Colombia. This Thursday she will be talking about her life and musical influences including a selection of pieces from classical to jazz to be played by The Orchestra of St John’s under the direction of John Lubbock.

The talk and concert is on

Thursday 4 July 2019 at

8pm in Magdalen College School Dining Hall.

Prue has visited Colombia with her PA – our Chairman Francisca Sankson.

For more information visit the festival website below:

https://www.artsfestivaloxford.org/whats-on/speakers-and-discussions-1/prue-leith

Fenix Students Attend Peace Workshop

Fundacion Fenix students attended a workshop this month on the Colombian peace process between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC–EP). President Juan Manuel Santos initiated negotiations in September 2012 to bring an end to the longstanding Colombian conflict and an agreement was reached in June 2016. The current President Ivan Duque is trying to get government backing for modifications to the agreement.

The workshop was led by Fenix Director Beatriz Vejarano who is a member of Rodeemos el Dialogo (ReD), a trans-national initiative founded in in London September 2012, to show the support of civil society for the negotiations. In the UK ReD has carried out public activities including academic conferences and public conversations, cultural activities and other events with a peace orientation.

Fenix students also went to the launch of Malcolm Linton´s new book of photographs which depict FARC members in their final months as combatants then trying to re-integrate into society. They had the opportunity to meet former fighters and get a better understanding of how difficult it is to end decades of conflict and injustice and their own role in helping form a better society.

Louis de Bernieres Live in Oxford

Poet, novelist and musician Louis de Bernieres is appearing at the Oxford Festival of the Arts speaking of his life and work and presenting poetry awards on Tuesday 25 June.

Louis spent time in Colombia where his Don Emmanuel trilogy is based and has given poetry and musical evenings in Stanway Tithe Barn and Winchcombe to raise funds for Children of Colombia.

Set in countries from Greece to Sri Lanka, de Bernieres’ novels – including award winning “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” – and short stories are a magical mix of wonderful storytelling and deep insight into the humour and tragedy of human relationships against a broad geographical and historical background.

Billed as a two-week whirlwind of culture and creativity the Oxford Festival of the Arts offers music, drama, speakers, debates, film, dance, art, circus and comedy in venues around Oxford from

Friday 21 June – Sunday 7 July 2019.

https://www.artsfestivaloxford.org/whats-on

Below: Louis de Bernieres and The Antonius Players entertaining an audience in Stanway’s historic Tithe Barn in aid of Children of Colombia

Novelist Louis de Bernieres in concert at Stanway Tithe Barn to raise funds for UK charity Children of Colombia

Children of Colombia Trustee Antonia Bonilla

Welcome on Board Antonia!

We are delighted to welcome Antonia Bonilla to the Children of Colombia team. As our newest Trustee, Antonia has been an enthusiastic and valuable supporter since she found the charity through its website earlier this year. Originally from Colombia, Antonia is now based in London and is passionate about helping children in need in Colombia.

” I am excited to join a foundation that raises funds and awareness in the UK to help those who need it most,” Antonia explains, “and I celebrate the foundation’s commitment to allocating funds efficiently and with no overhead costs.”

Antonia is planning to visit the fundaciones in Bogota when she visits in January 2020.

Running for Children of Colombia

The Children of Colombia team is gearing up for the ASICS London 10K on Sunday 21st July – come and support us, sponsor our runners or join the team running in aid of Children of Colombia. The fast-paced, flat 10km route will take runners on a tour through Central London, racing past the historical landmarks such as Big Ben, the London Eye and River Thames. A great day out in the capital for a great cause.

London’s Top Sites on ASICS 10K

Children of Colombia supporters will be running in the ASICS 10k race to raise funds for the charity. The run on July 21 follows a route past some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks and promises to be a great day for participants and supporters! Contact us for more details or visit uk.virginsport.com – watch this space!

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