In advance, the boys and girls of 'La Variante' in Tumaco, Nariño, celebrated Christmas with the installation of a park, the delivery of sports equipment and hundreds of gifts. The Colombianitos Foundation in the company of the National Army and the Force of...

The Colombianitos Foundation with the help of the Army and the Joint Force of Establishment and Consolidation Hercules, the No.53 Jungle Battalion and the No.2 Rapid Deployment Force worked together to cheer up the lives of these minors that live in vulnerable conditions.

Between looks of amazement, smiles and excitement of more than 200 boys and girls, the Colombianitos Foundation and the Army gifted present, athletic equipment and a park that will benefit 5,000 children in the communities of 'La Variante'.

Gladys Sanmiguel, executive director of the Colombianitos Foundation, assured that the objective of this type of activity is to be present in the areas in which no one goes, like the PDET municipalities, especially in Tumaco, to help the vulnerable communities.

"Colombianitos is an organization that educates through sports and making the most of free time, which is why the installation of different stages and the recovery of places that promote athletic activities are of vital importance when preventing children from adopting bad habits, problems and becoming delinquents", added the Colombianitos executive director.

The support of the Army was essential to achieve the goal of the initiative, transporting the park and the athletic equipment from the city of Pasto and the presents from Bogotá all the way to 'La Variante'.

The tenet Colonel Iván Pintor, commander of the 53rd Jungle Battalion, appeared satisfied with the teamwork he observed between Colombianitos and the Army, to cheer up the children of the community's Christmas, and signaled that, as an institution, the Army is always willing to help those who need it the most especially vulnerable individuals.

For María Salazar, vice president of the comunal committee of 'La Variante' she expressed her gratitude to the institutions that were a pat of the initiative and sent a message to the community to take care of every single thing gift they received, making the most out of them.

María José Preciado, is an 11 year old girl that lives in the area, and to her, receiving toys she had never seen as gifts was a great surprise, "Now I am going to play a lot more with my friends, and my brothers", she explained.

The parents of the families in the area also expressed their gratefulness and joy when they saw their children receive gifts and enjoy the park; " Receiving gifts is a blessing, an immense joy, having a park means a lot to us, because the children can have fun and entertain themselves, since we have never had a park like this one", expressed Evelin Natalia Quiñones, matriarchal head.

The Colombianitos Foundation is an organization with 20 years of experience, leading in Colombia with the use of sports as a tool for social development, that has benefited over 143 million people with its diverse methods, that allow for the creation of new education practices that mold the new generations of the country in abilities for life, citizenship skills, environmental protection, leadership, prevention of alcohol consumption and gender equality.