Colombia’s Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados. Photo © María del Pilar Ruíz, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Located at the northern tip of South America, Colombia is bordered by Venezuela and Brazil to the east, Peru and Ecuador to the south, and its western edge is lined by the sea, with Panama dividing its Caribbean coastline from its Pacific coast. Colombia is dotted by cosmopolitan cities, such as its capital, Bogotá, home to the posh Zona Rosa, with its sophisticated restaurants and shops, and the centuries-old district of La Candelaria, with its first-rate museums and colonial architecture. Cartagena is another city that enchants, with cobblestone streets and evocative architecture, while those who prefer to get away from urban areas may be tempted by a mud bath at Volcán Totumo, a hike in the jungles of Tayrona National Park, or horseback riding and a cup of freshly brewed coffee at a plantation in the Eje Cafetero, or Coffee-Growing Axis. While volunteering is a nascent business in Colombia, the opportunities that exist tend to be highly regarded.With 47 million people, Colombia is the third most populous country in Latin America (after Brazil and Mexico). More than half the population is mestizo (of mixed European and indigenous ancestry), while 20 percent is of European-only descent and 15 percent claim a mix of European and African ancestry. Only 1 percent of the population is indigenous only, but there are 500,000 people that speak indigenous languages, mainly Quecha.With a gross national income per capita of US$6,110 (2011 World Bank figures), Colombia’s people are wealthier on average than neighboring Peru and Ecuador. But they also face greater income inequality, with 37 percent of the population living below the national poverty line. As security in the country increases, however, Colombia is seeing business (and tourism) grow, and poverty rates are slowly dropping.
While volunteering is a nascent business in Colombia, the opportunities that exist tend to be highly regarded. Volunteers might work with a center for disadvantaged children, teach English to locals in order to better prepare them for the burgeoning tourism industry, work in an orchid nursery or botanical garden, help protect sea turtles or endemic birds, or assist park rangers to maintain national parks.
Colombia
Excerpted from the First Edition of Moon Volunteer Vacations in Latin America.
