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Broswer Extension Smilematic ensures donations from your Amazon.com shopping

Smilematic Prompt for Free Donations from Amazon.com

Make sure you never miss a chance to get a free donation for Children of Colombia from Amazon with the Smilematic browser extension.

A big thank you to Marilyn Sanders who kindly sent in this tip:

“Recently I caught a post on Twitter from Children of Colombia about AmazonSmile. I wanted to mention when I was setting up AmazonSmile I also came across a browser extension called Smilematic.

It redirects me to smile.amazon.co.uk automatically whenever I shop Amazon so I don’t forget to type it in.

Here’s the tool: https://couponfollow.com/smilematic

Amazon Smile is a great way to raise free funds for Children of Colombia every time you shop online with Amazon.  Just visit smile.amazon.co.uk, sign in with your usual Amazon password, and select Children of Colombia as your preferred charity.  Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase to Children of Colombia with no charge to you.

It’s easy to forget to sign in to Smile instead of the regular Amazon and this app automatically sends you to the right place so you never miss a donation.

The app does not track, store or send any personal user or usage information, just does what it says on the tin.

So get started today! With this free tool Amazon shoppers always donate to Children of Colombia for free without any hassle.






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Thank You for Supporting the “Save the Amazon Education Centre” Appeal

A huge thank you to everyone who supported the “Save the Amazon Education Centre” appeal in December 2021.  The campaign raised just over £1500 – way more than the £1000 target set.  The funds have already been sent to Colombia so work can start on repairing the roof of the roundhouse, one of the two main buildings that make up Natütama’s Education and Visitor Centre in Puerto Nariño in the Colombian Amazon.

Natütama is a Colombian charity dedicated to the sustainable management of resources and biodiversity in the Amazon. It runs education, research and conservation programmes from the Centre on the banks of the river in the Amazon rainforest.

Young people from the region, mainly of the Ticuna ethnic group, work closely with the local community – farmers, fishermen and especially schools and families – to teach them how to protect endangered Amazonian wildlife and habitats while continuing to live and work in the same environment.

Due to the lack of tourists during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Centre’s income dropped dramatically over the last two years which has made it very difficult to maintain the buildings which require constant attention. The need for massive re-roofing reached crisis point towards the end of 2021 but with funding from the Save the Amazon Education Centre Appeal and other donations re-roofing can now go ahead. The walkways and bridges are also being repaired and other painting work remains to be carried out.

While the number of visitors increased to 1.608 in 2021, this was still very low compared to normal years, when Natütama would have expected 6000 to 8000 visitors. Nearly half of the visitors last year were local adults and children, who do not pay an entrance fee.

Many people from the Amazon area make repeat visits to the Centre and one of the tasks for 2022 is to update the exhibits with new material.

 

 

 

 

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Still Time to Save the Amazon Education Centre

There is still time to donate to our SAVE THE AMAZON EDUCATION CENTRE campaign and end a tough year on a high note!

This beautiful illustration of the rare, gigantic pirarucu fish in the Amazon River was painted by one of the team of young educators at Natütama’s Education and Visitors’ Centre at Puerto Nariño in the Colombian Amazon, now in desperate need of urgent repairs.

Natütama is a Colombian charity dedicated to the sustainable management of resources and biodiversity in the Amazon. It runs education, research and conservation programmes from the Centre on the banks of the river in the Amazon rainforest. Built by local craftsmen using traditional construction methods and mainly natural, locally sourced materials, the Education and Visitor Centre is environmentally friendly but also needs regular repairs as the palm thatch and timber deteriorate quickly in the hot, wet climate.

Because of the pandemic, the Centre has received almost no visitor income since March 2020. There has been nothing available for maintenance. The roundhouse, constantly in use for activities, is leaking in many places and needs substantial re-roofing with palm leaves. The floor is also peeling in places and needs painting.

Young people from the region, mainly of the Ticuna ethnic group, work closely with the local community – farmers, fishermen and especially schools and families – to teach them how to protect endangered Amazonian wildlife and habitats while continuing to live and work in the same environment.

Please click here to donate today so Natütama’s important education and conservation work can continue into 2022.

 

 

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More Academic Success for Fenix Students!

Congratulations to three Fundacion Fénix students who achieved remarkable academic grades this term.

Indira and Angélica have finished their semesters with outstanding grades and at the top of their classes. Indira completed the first half of a higher education certificate to qualify in care of older adults and Angélica has finished the second year of a five year degree in social work. The two sisters come from a difficult and troubled family, with their mother and grandmother  dying recently.  Despite the problems both are remarkably caring and generous spirited girls. Their academic fees are paid by ‘godmothers’ donating through Children of Colombia.

Now over half way through her higher education diploma in physical education, Angélica Abril finished this trimester of classes as a straight A student, with a grade point average of 90%.

“We are, as you can imagine, hugely proud of them,” says Timothy Ross,  founding director of Fenix, the Colombian NGO dedicated to providing psychotherapy and educational support to vulnerable young women from troubled and abusive backgrounds.

Amazon Education Centre Christmas Appeal – Target Smashed!

The Amazon Education Centre Christmas Appeal target of £1000 has been reached thanks to your immense generosity just a week after it was launched.

We’re sure there are more people who would like to help this great cause so we are keeping the Amazon Education Centre Christmas Appeal running as planned until the end of December.  With your support, we will be able to cover labour costs as well as materials for re-building and repairing Natütama’s Education and Visitor Centre in Puerto Nariño in the Colombian Amazon.

In addition to its environmental education activities with schools and the local community, Natutama carries out important long-term research into the habitats and lifecycles of endangered species such as manatees, river dolphins and turtles native to the Amazon.

The charity depends on local fishermen, with a lifetime experience of the river and its tributaries, to monitor the numbers of species, their breeding places, new babies and sadly deaths.

The data gathered from the monitoring operation provides information which can help protect threatened species through management, rescue or protection actions and education.  The data provided has been presented at international scientific forums and can help point to areas where further research is needed.

“We as a Foundation start from the conviction that we should not touch animals or disturb them with our activities. There are some exceptional cases in which an animal can be touched: for example, to free it from a fishing net or to remove it from a place where it is endangered by human activities.” explains Natutama.

Some of the endangered species on Natutama’s monitoring and conservation programme (taken from its website):

Pink River Dolphin

The Tikuna call it Omacha. It is the largest river dolphin in the world (approx. 2.80 m.). At birth they are dark gray and turn pink over the years. Instead of a triangular fin, it has a kind of hump; this and its flexible neck, allows it to swim among the roots of trees in the flooded forest. With its long snout, it can find its food in difficult places. It is not very common to see him make jumps out of the water, only the passage of his back and the sound of breathing are perceived on the surface.

Threats: conflicts over fishing, boat trafficking and impact of dolphin watching programs

Pirarucu

It is one of the largest freshwater fish in the world, exceeding 3 m. in length, weighs up to 250 kg. It is characterized by its reddish coloration on the edge of the scales. When the oxygen in the water decreases, it takes the air out of the water, through your mouth. It feeds on fish. They form pairs and make their nests by digging at the bottom of the water or on the substrate. The nests are cared for by both parents and the young at birth swim attached to the head of the adult.

Natütama Foundation monitors catches and nest distribution in lakes and streams. Distribution of pirarucú in the backwaters of the Amazon River.

Threats: capture of small sizes, violation of the fishing ban, loss of habitat.

Charapa

They are the three most important species of aquatic turtles in the Amazon. The female of the charapa reaches up to 90 cm., the cupiso up to 30 cm. and the taricaya up to 50 cm. The size of the nests and the shape of the eggs also varies by species: the charapa lays 70 to 130 round and soft eggs, the cupiso 13 to 15 oval and carraspous eggs, and the taricaya from 20 to 45 oval and soft eggs. In winter they are found in lakes, wells, pipes and flooded forest. In summer the females go out to the river looking for the beaches to nest. The cupiso and the charapa need the beaches to make their nests, the taricaya also uses the beach, but prefers muddy sites and ravines. What most affects the turtle population is the looting of nests and capture of females by humans.

Natütama Foundation monitors the distribution and abundance of charapa, cupiso and taricaya in the posture season with protection of nests and transfer of threatened eggs. Release of turtles into the lakes at 3 months of hatching.

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Children in the Amazon learning about their environment

Natutama’s Amazing Amazon Environmental Education Programme

Thank you for supporting Children of Colombia’s “Save the Amazon Education Centre” Appeal!  We have raised more than half the £1000 target to fund repairs to Natütama’s Environmental Education and Visitor Centre in the Colombian Amazon.  Why not set up your own Fundraising page via the Just Giving link to boost the Appeal and help reach our target by the deadline of 31 December? Or click Donate Now to make a quick, no fuss donation.

Read more about the Education and Visitor Centre:

Fundacion Natütama is a Colombian charity that runs important environmental education and research programmes in the Colombian Amazon. It works with schoolchildren, families, fishermen and all the local community, teaching about conservation of the Amazon’s unique ecosystems.

The programmes are run from the Education and Visitor Centre – a beautiful, traditionally constructed building in the rainforest near the town of Puerto Nariño on the banks of the Amazon.    People come to the Education Centre to learn more about endangered species like manatees, sloths and river dolphins and how they can live alongside them without threatening their lives or habitat. The young team of educators organises fun activities such as field trips, games, painting, drama and mime.

Many activities incorporate traditional myths and folklore.  The strange, beautiful and often endangered creatures such as the manatee, boa (anaconda), caiman crocodile and river dolphin feature largely in these stories as spirits of the river and forest, interacting with humans who share their environment.   Elders from the local Ticuna and other indigenous communities visit for storytelling sessions, passing on their traditional knowledge and cultural heritage to the younger generation and reinforcing the science-based teaching about preserving and respecting the environment.

Educators (when Covid restrictions allow) hold regular environmental education classes in local schools.  Children in each grade learn more about the habits and lifecycles of different rare, endangered local creatures and how to protect them and conserve their environment.  They are awarded a special certificate at the end of each course.

Each year Natütama organises a week-long festival of activities involving the whole community and based at the Education Centre.  Parades, animal masks and costumes, theatre, dance and art all feature heavily, combinging local cultural traditions with environmental education.

Natütama’s aim is to help local people to understand and respect their local environment and to manage it sustainably alongside their traditional way of life.  Farmers are encourage not to destroy ancient trees and wildlife.  Fishermen and hunters are encouraged to avoid harming manatees, the giant pirarucu fish and other endangered species and to leave turtle eggs untouched or move them somewhere the babies can hatch out in safety.

Please support our 2021 Christmas Appeal – share with your friends and family, post on social media, set up a Fundraising page or Donate Now.  Thank you!

 

 

 

 

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Amazon Smile Donates with every time you shop online

Raise Free Funds for Children of Colombia with Amazon Smile

Did you know you can raise free funds for Children of Colombia every time you shop online with Amazon Smile? It’s free and very simple to do.

AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same low prices, same services.

Just click Amazon Smile or sign in with your existing Amazon account to get started.  Select Children of Colombia as your chosen charity and Amazon donates 0.5% of the net purchase price of all your online purchases automatically.  You don’t have to do anything else – just carry on shopping as usual.  And with so many special deals and bargains this Black Friday weekend, what are you waiting for?

You can also raise free funds when you shop online with Give As You Live.  Give As You Live works with top UK High Street brands, supermarket chains and major travel agents, insurance and service companies to give up to 4% of your online spend.  Again, once you’ve signed up you don’t have to do anything more to know that you are helping very poor and vulnerable children every time you buy online.

So whether you are doing your Christmas gift shopping online this year or ordering food and drink for the holiday period – or booking a bit of winter sun in the New Year – please sign up to Give As You Live and Amazon Smile and help raise free funds for Children of Colombia.

Free donations with every online shop
Sign up to Give as You LIve and raise free donations with every online purchase for Children of Colombia

 

 

https://smile.amazon.co.uk and
https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/childrenofcolombia

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Free donations with every online shop

Bag a Bargain and Boost Donations this Black Friday

Raise free donations and bag a bargain every time you shop online this Black Friday by signing up to Give as You Live.
Whether you love it or loathe it, Black Friday is back for another year. Officially, the big buying weekend runs from Friday 26 November to Cyber Monday on 29 November. But many top UK retailers are getting in ahead of the game and already offering thousands of offers and deals to keen-eyed shoppers.
If you are looking for a bargain or want the best deals on your Christmas presents this year, sign up to support Children of Colombia via @giveasyoulive and generate free donations on any online purchases you make at over 5,500 top retailers. > https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/childrenofcolombia?
It’s completely free and once signed up you can raise free donations every time you shop.
Want to find out more? Go to https://www.giveasyoulive.com for all full details.
And get the Give As You Live Donation Reminder App for your phone or laptop – a little pop up that appears every time you visit a participating retailer’s website – just so you don’t miss a chance to raise free donations with every online shop for Children of Colombia.

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Downtown Bogota

Fenix Students Facing Up to Hard Times in Bogota

]The latest report from Fundación Fenix highlights the achievements of some very brave young women who continue to work hard and give one another mutual support against a background of Covid, social unrest, violence and personal family problems.  The Bogotá-based charity supports vulnerable young women from abusive backgrounds. It helps them to fulfil their potential and create a better future through full-time education, mainly in the health and social care sectors where they can use their new skills to help society in general.

Directors Tim and Beatriz write:

“The stress and anxiety generated by this long drawn-out pandemic, compounded by lack of jobs, increased poverty and growing violence on the streets, have taken a toll on everyone, but they have also pushed many Fénix girls to think more deeply about their roles in society, their future and their capacity to care for others.

“Some have been energized by the situation and become even more determined to excel in their studies or their jobs and to help support people even worse affected by the crisis.

“Lizeth Angélica says: “Our sense of humanity and solidarity has flourished unexpectedly . . . whilst studying has helped me to center all my energy and think more deeply about things that make me ask questions, which I enjoy: I want to learn more and to be able to offer coherent contributions, to debate better . . . studying Social Work has, I feel, allowed me to connect more with myself and with the context in which I live, to begin to understand the causes of many problems”.”

Fenix has found that girls who have felt abandoned, unwanted or abused can flourish with the right support and encouragement.   With someone – or a group of people – who care about her, have faith in her abilities and interest in her progress a girl who has grown up knowing poverty and abuse  can find motivation, self belief and the confidence and courage to face the toughest personal, academic and social challenges.

When you showed confidence in me I began to feel confidence in myself” (Viviana, now a doctor fighting Covid).

Follow the link to read the full report and catch up with the Fenix girls’ personal journeys:

Fénix 2021 mid-year report[11972

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