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For many residents of Bogota’s Ciudad Bolivar, violence, negativity and the lure of self‐destructive choices tower like the city’s Andean elevation. The civil war that has engulfed Colombia for over a decade continues to displace rural residents, usually landless and scarred, feeding a migrant wave of “urban invaders” at a rate some estimate to be greater than 100 new arrivals per day. Bogota’s population has swollen to more than 7.5 million with much of the growth concentrated in the poorer Southern neighborhoods such as Ciudad Bolivar. These districts are poorly equipped to supply jobs and government services or reduce the tension that accompanies an infusion of mostly uneducated newcomers, fresh from the violent front lines of the conflict, into already dense environs. For people at the bottom social strata of war torn Colombia, nurturing hope and opportunity is a daily struggle.
Sandra is one of the hopeful. Eighteen months ago Sandra heard about Centro de Juan Bosco Obrero. A close friend told her about a free computer‐training program offered in a technical training facility (Sala Popular de Formación Tecnológica) underwritten by Microsoft Colombia. Sandra heard that the curriculum was rigorous, but that students love the school. In particular, the school’s respectful approach toward “teaching the whole person” was praised. Sandra’s friend was going to attempt to enroll the next day and invited Sandra to join her. Sandra had only completed grade seven and keeping up with the curriculum would be daunting. However, as a 28‐year‐old single mother with a 6‐year‐old daughter, she wanted to consolidate her many formal and informal jobs and improve her wages. And the value of the opportunity to learn about computers was clear to her. “Knowledge of technology and the Internet is very important for any job. If I know how computers work, many better, higher paying jobs will be available to me and I will be able to take better care of my daughter and teach her as well.”
Enrolling at Juan Bosco
When Sandra embarked on the fifteen‐minute early‐morning walk up the hill to the Juan Bosco campus, she was not sure what to expect. She had not visited the campus but was told to go early because the limited available spaces were highly desired. Past students had reported that over 1,500 people had stood in line to apply for the available spots in previous quarters. Every quarter Juan Bosco offers approximately 300 students positions in a variety of technical programs such as computer systems, auto mechanics, carpentry, sewing, and others. As Sandra passed through the barbed‐wire‐topped fence that surrounded the campus, she noticed a dramatic change. Dirt, litter, graffiti and broken windows disappeared, replaced by neatly swept brick pathways and impeccably maintained buildings. The way the students carried themselves between classes was subtly different from others in the neighborhood. Sandra was a little worried because she had only completed grade seven