Looking for Fair Trade Producers in Colombia

The following is a Business Development Update by Hugo Villela, Regional Development Executive

I am currently in Fruandes, a Colombian IFAT certified organization in Bogota. My objective is to get a better understanding of Colombia’s current political and economic climate to see if Shared Interest can effectively provide lending for Colombian fair trade organizations.

Bogata has roughly 9 million inhabitants. It is a huge city and getting from one end to the other is a challenge that can take up to 3 hours due to all of the traffic jams they have. Bogata is a modern city with wide avenues (when compared to what we have in Costa Rica). There is also an incredible difference between the northern part of the city and the southern part of the city with one part of the city being rather affluent and the other part being extremely poor.

This is not my first time in Bogata. I worked here in 1998 and 1999 initiating projects for the International Organization for Migrations and a local NGO, Taller de Vida helping internally displaced people (IDPs). As a result I got to see a lot of Bogata while visiting IDP communities. That had been an exciting experience for me, a young professional filled with curiosity and a desire to help Colombia’s disadvantaged people.

Eight years ago, I meet a Colombian girl in Costa Rica, who is now my wife. She came to Costa Rica to escape the situation in Colombia. Finally after all this time, she can now return to her homeland without it being a risk to her life.

That’s it for now from Bogata. I will keep you posted as to the prospects for Shared Interest providing lending to Colombian fair trade producers.