GIVING OUT BEANIES IN BOGOTA
“I am an energy vampire!” was the first phrase we heard when we set foot on the recreation courts of the temporary home. German, the blessed energy vampire, exuded emotion, according to him, just by seeing six faces of young people who had never set foot in the place, energy that he wanted to absorb at 57 years of age. That first burst of joy was enough for us to put our mixed feelings aside and feel in some way or another closer to the people we were about to meet.
Hours earlier, on the way home, Carla and Yineth, two brave women who dedicated their lives to reclaiming the lives of others, explained to us how the street world worked, starting by removing the blindfold from our eyes. They explained to us that not everyone is simply a slave to drug addiction, in fact most are people who at some point in their lives were artists, businessmen, engineers, lawyers and who were very possibly great at what they did, but that situations such as gambling addiction, abandonment or depression due to the sudden loss of a loved one led them to seek shelter under the city's bridges.
Shortly after our little encounter with Germán and a couple of knowing laughs, everyone was ready to receive us. It was a fairly large room, where absolutely everyone, after a bit of a mess generated by the expectation and excitement of having us there, was willing to listen to us. Luis E, with a hint of curiosity, stepped forward, spoke confidently and told them what this small change in his daily routine was about.
He began by explaining that Cloud Ten is a company that seeks to go beyond its nature as a brand, that what it really seeks is to become a community, which in addition to being lovers of the culture surrounding the cloud, is made up of young people who work to encourage others to change the country through social impact. For this reason, he had decided to create a campaign in which the caps would be those that would benefit one of the most vulnerable communities in the country, which despite being one of the most common among Colombians, is also, unfortunately, one of the most forgotten. When he finished, the room was filled with applause and jubilation, and in the midst of the volatile atmosphere, a man stood up from his seat and with a moving look thanked us, saying that on behalf of everyone, this was a gesture that genuinely filled their hearts.
That's how the day began. As the line in which they had been organized moved forward, the number of hats on the bag decreased, the veil that "separated" us was erased, we forgot about the situation these people had once been in and simply enjoyed sharing with human beings with incredible stories.
While Andrés asked our new friends for permission to take pictures of them with his beloved Fuji film, Luis E tried to start a genuine conversation with as many people as he could in the little time we had left, Omar, Paula and I looked for the yellow and green hats that were at the bottom of the bag, amidst Simon's laughter, since he ended up being the friend with the most coveted hat in the audience.
The most curious thing was to feel how, person after person, the whole situation changed, confirming to us in a certain way that each human being is a completely different universe: some limited themselves to smiling shyly and accepting their hat; others gave us their hand, blessed us and thanked us sincerely, and others simply could not decide which color best suited their eyes or their skin, or that of their partner.
Hours later, after sharing unique moments with people from the temporary home, Carla and Yineth took us to visit a temporary home, which unlike the temporary home, welcomes people who do not want to enter into a social reintegration process but sometimes seek a plate of food and a roof to protect them for a few hours from the city's elements. For this reason, the place had a slightly more hostile environment, where order was essential to be able to handle any unwanted situation that might arise. This is how they gathered those who had started the process, a very important detail because the last thing we wanted was for the caps to end up being exchanged for drugs that would increase the problem instead of helping to improve it.
Something that really caught our attention in the room where we were going to repeat the delivery process were the paintings and cartoons that were on the walls of the place, they were done with such precision and creativity that it left us with a bittersweet taste. On the one hand, it was nice to think that there were people who were looking to get their lives back through art, but on the other hand it hurt to think that there was so much talent wasted on the streets of the city. And so the delivery continued, this time without lines, in a more uncomplicated and real way, in which we learned all the possible ways in which a beanie can be used, they showed us the top 10 of the coolest Ozzy Osbourne albums, they showed us the most stylish Jordan Style sneakers in the whole house and they told us the secret of happiness.
When the delivery was over, we heard a “Thank you, guys” among us. It was Hector who was wearing a yellow cap and he told us from the bottom of his heart that he had not felt so loved in a long time. “Many times what you need is love, to be loved, because in the end you fall into drugs at first because you feel empty and you don’t receive love. Thank you, guys, for remembering us.” As soon as he left, we looked at each other with moved eyes because we couldn’t deny the sad reality in his words. Hector was absolutely right. In a country where injustice, violence and corruption are the order of the day, sometimes we have the idea that we should get used to what we get because we don’t see any hope, leaving empathy aside and with it the most vulnerable people.
There is a common misconception that the situation of homeless people is a matter that only concerns the State, as it is believed that it is simply a public health and safety problem, stripping the humanity out of the people who have fallen into this situation, leaving them forgotten. Although they are not the easiest people to handle at first, as they have lived through unimaginable situations, they are human beings with all the capacity to serve the growth of our society, with a desire to get ahead, with desires and longings like anyone else. Let us get rid of prejudices and try to be more human, since the secret of change is to truly love. Absolutely everyone deserves second chances and it is incredible what we can achieve when we assume our role as generators of change; Sometimes actions that may seem small to us can mean the world to others and as young people, we can generate enough impact to reach out to others and not leave anyone behind as we move forward as a society, because in the midst of our connectedness as humanity, each and every one of us matters.
