Aikido and Community in Cali, Columbia
Written by
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho
May 5, 2008
Immigration was so crowded and the lines so long in Bogota that
I missed my connection to Cali. This unfortunately was the last
flight for the evening, which meant I would be spending the night
in the airport. Colombia is a warm-weather country, but inside
the airport was downright cold. The airport staff was very kind
however and brought out a blanket for me on the bench I had settled
on for the night. There was a woman I assumed was homeless who
had taken up residence on the bench across from me, who was eyeing
me somewhat suspiciously with half closed eyes. I was a little
worried about what she was thinking about me. When I travel,
I always wear clothes designed more for comfort and durability
than fashion, and she was probably drawing the same conclusions
about me that I had about her! “Maybe she can’t sleep
either,” I thought as I settled in for the long night ahead.
Early the next morning I caught the first flight to Cali where
the Nikeijin Kaikan (Japan Colombia Association) Director, Ayako
Nakata and Cali Nippon Budokan’s Jorge Silva Sensei met
me at the airport. They brought with them a large, beautiful
arrangement of tropical flowers.
The hotel was 140 years old, very quaint and charming. The building
also housed the Swiss Embassy which I thought was a unique combination.
There were many families as guests at the hotel, but there was
something out of place in their appearances that took me a little
while to figure out. At breakfast one morning at the hotel, I
overheard a couple’s conversation at the table next to
me that helped me put the pieces together. “I liked this
child” the woman said to her husband, “better than
the others”.
I finally understood. This hotel that housed the Swiss Embassy
was also a place for prospective parents to spend a little time
with different children to choose a Colombian child for adoption.
This seemed a little unreal to me. It reminded me of people at
a pet store choosing a puppy to take home. I just hope that the
children that were being chosen for adoption would be headed
for a new and happy life.
***
When I wasn’t teaching Aikido at the Nippon Budokan, I
spent my time researching different community service organizations
and facilities in and around Cali. I was interested in what kinds
of programs were facilitated there, and if any of them would
be good candidates for future AHAN support.
The first organization I visited was the CADEYAR Foundation.
This foundation was run by Andres Rodriguez Mera, an Aikido student
of Jorge Silva Sensei. The CADEYAR facility provided physical
therapy for children from low income families either free or
administered for a nominal fee. Besides offering physical therapy
for children with serious medical issues, they also arranged
events and activities for these physically challenged children
so they could interact together with healthy children for education,
social development and a little fun! The CADEYAR Foundation receives
no government support, and is funded entirely by private donations.
As is usually the case, the CADEYAR Foundation struggled with
a budget for its own survival. I asked Mr. Mera how much his
salary was for working with the Foundation. He laughed at my
question good naturedly and replied, “What salary”?
With patients, second from left; Ms. Nakata, far right;
Jorge Silva Sensei, center: Homma Kancho, right of center;
Mr. Mera.
We visited a boy named Luis who is a patient
of Mr. Mera’s.
Luis lives with his parents in a shack inside a private parking
garage. The shack was about 50 square feet in size, and family
members worked at parking lot attendants. Before Luis and his
family moved to the parking garage they had lived in one of the
very poor slum districts and Luis had been confined to a wheel
chair. He received very little if any medical attention for his
physical and mental handicaps. When his mother became seriously
ill, the family moved into the city where she could be treated.
The CEDEYAR Foundation found housing and employment for the family
in the parking garage, medical attention for the mother and treatment
and therapy for Luis. Since beginning therapy, Luis no longer
needs a wheelchair. If fate had not allowed Luis to find assistance
with the CEDEYAR Foundation he would have been confined to live
in a wheelchair in the slums of outer Cali for the rest of his
life.
I asked Luis which he liked better, living in the slums or living
downtown. He said of course he liked living in the slum area
better; all of his friends were there. He did appreciate however
the treatment he and his family had received and a chance at
a new life.
Luis, (on Kancho’s knee)
is doing much better now!
Luis playing with policemen,
to the right; Mr. Mera.
*****
Ten minutes by car northwest of Cali is an area called Terron,
Colorado. Jorge Sensei and I had driven to Terron Colorado to
visit a center that cares for some of the children in the area.
As we approached the area, Jorge Sensei stopped his car and made
a telephone call. Since drug dealing, crime and violence is prevalent
in this area, Jorge Sensei was calling the police to give them
his ID number, license plate number, and the reason for his visit
to this area. Jorge Sensei’s car was equipped with a GPS
tracking system that police could track if something were to
happen to them. I suppose this was reassuring…
Brothers, Luis and Dalio with Homma Kancho.
Children in the main meeting hall.
Entry to the Sola Luna Foundation facility.
Two
brothers operate the Sole Luna Foundation (Sun and Moon Foundation)
in a house they began renting in Terron Colorado five years ago.
The house had very narrow steps that led up to the 10x10 square
foot room that served as the central meeting area, and five small
adjoining rooms. Mr. Dalio is the oldest of the two brothers
at 34, with the younger brother Luis, 31. At any one time, there
usually are about 30 children that frequented the facility. These
children do not go to school and many of them are victims of
abuse or neglect. This facility served as a day care shelter
for many of the children including children with mental or physical
difficulties. There is no where else in this area for these children
to go, and there is no government funding for this foundation
either. The City of Cali contributes a small amount of funds
at times, but has provided no support since December. The $150.00
needed for rent every month has been difficult to raise, and
the landlord as of late, has been asking them to leave if they
could not pay. Food for the children costs about $2 per day per
child, and the Foundation relies heavily on donations from supermarkets
in the area to feed the children. Besides the 30 children that
spend most of their days at the facility, many more kids come
from the neighborhood for lunch.
As difficult as this situation is for both the young leaders
of this foundation and the children that gather under their care,
the goodness of their hearts shone through in the brightness
of their smiles.
With the children.
Homma Kancho talking with the children.
*****
After bidding our farewells and returning to Cali, we left the
Nikeijin Kaikan again at 5 pm to visit another slum area and
a Karate dojo named Kyomizu Dojo. Here Lincoln Sensei, who
also practices Aikido with Jorge Sensei in Cali taught Gojuryu
Karate Do to about 10 children from this very low income neighborhood.
Lincoln Sensei made his living as a trainer in a gym that occupied
the same building as the Karate dojo. All of the children performed
a demonstration for me that was quite good. This dojo was small,
but this young, energetic instructor filled this space with
a powerful and healthy practice.
Lincoln Sensei (far left) with his enthusiastic students.
Children’s practice.
*****
The following morning at 10 am, I went to the village of Santa
Elena to visit the Dignity and Life Foundation. This foundation
is run by Mr Mario Palomino who is also a student at the Nippon
Budokan dojo. The Dignity and Life Foundation was founded by
Mario’s wife, Juliette who is a well known radio host in
Cali. Mario became more involved with running the foundation
after a severe motorcycle accident. The accident almost killed
him, and taught him about the preciousness of life. Mario also
owns a computer business, but since the accident spends all of
his free time as director of the center.
Gate to Santa Elena.
Food and daily product delivery, center; founder Juliette,
right Mr. Mario, left; Homma Kancho.
Mr. Mario came to pick me up at the hotel and the trip to Santa
Elena was an adventure in itself. The road to Santa Elena runs
through the outskirts of a very affluent area of Cali. Once through
this well-groomed area, the pavement came to an abrupt end, replaced
suddenly by a rutted road in horrible disrepair. Afive-minute
drive into the surrounding hills brought us to the shanty town
of Santa Elena, a village of sorts which had sprouted up haphazardly
around a rock quarry. I learned the quarry was owned by the city
of Cali and that anyone who went through the trouble could mine
the rock for free. The villagers of Santa Elena made their living
with this grueling task of mining the rock and selling it to
the more affluent people of Cali. In teams of four, the villagers
cut and brought down slabs of rock used to tile the more rich
homes and businesses in Cali. One day of back-breaking work would
bring the team of four about $25, meaning that each person took
home less than $10 for an eight-hour day of work. There were
about 240 families that lived around the quarry in Santa Elena,
and each family averaged from 7 to 8 children each.
At the entrance to the village, Mr. Mario built a bamboo hut
where about 150 children have come for lunch every day for the
last five years. On Saturdays and Sundays, the children receive
two meals a day. Most of these children cannot go to school,
so many of them stay at the hut after lunch to be tutored in
basic studies, or just spend a little time talking and listening
to the advice and guidance offered by Mr. Mario and his wife.
Homma Kancho, Mr. Mario and Ms Nakata in Santa Elena
Meeting hall.
Lunch consisted of rice, a
thin bean soup and water sweetened with brown sugar. Once in
a great while, a bite or two of chicken is included which was
always a treat. Each month, the program consumes 150 kilos
of beans, 300 kilos of rice and LOTS of brown sugar. The families
of Santa Elena rotate the duty of cooking the children’s
daily meal in their sparse and meager homes. Fresh water only
flows in Santa Elena one hour per week, when the water pipes
that run to the village square are turned on. Rain water is
a valuable commodity here and is collected in a number of inventive
ways every time it rains.
Kancho with volunteer mothers.
The hanging bicycle.
The day I visited the
Dignity and Life Foundation there was a brand new children’s
mountain bike hanging from the ceiling of the facility. This
bike I learned was supposed to be a Christmas present for one
of the kids. This child however, had not kept up his grades
at school, so Mr. Mario had tied the bike to the ceiling where
it remained; in sight but out of reach. Mr. Mario said with
a smile, “Until this promise has been honored
and his grades improve, that bicycle will stay out of reach
on the ceiling,” he said. Listening to him, I could see
the insight that Mr. Mario had and the kind of positive effect
that he will have on the future of these children’s lives.
We left Santa Elena and made our way down the mountain and through
some other poorer neighborhoods as we drove back towards Cali.
Mr. Mario stopped the car when we reached the outskirts of the
affluent area we had passed on the way up. He explained to me
that urban neighborhoods are categorized into six income levels:
zero through six. The area of Cali we just passed through was
rated zero. The area we were headed into is rated six. The quarry
village of Santa Elena does not even have a rank as the people
who live there are actually squatters. The area around the quarry
is actually too dangerous to be legally recognized by the city.
That is why there are no social programs, infrastructure or even
running water..
Down the hill from a slum area is a “level 6” neighborhood.
Collecting precious rainwater.
Mr. Mario developed a special program in Santa Elena for about
20 young people aged 12 to 16, chosen for their aptitude and
attitudes. These young people pile into an old van once a week
where they are driven through the affluent areas of Cali to attend
Aikido classes at the Nippon Budokan. These children would not
be allowed to walk through any of the “six-rated areas
they pass through on the way to the dojo; they would be chased
out by police. This is one of the reasons that the children of
Santa Elena rarely venture down from the quarry mountain on their
own.
This program is supported by the Colombian Japanese Society,
Jorge Sensei and Nakata Kancho and the children are enthusiastic
participants in Aikido class. For these children, the fact that
the toilets flush at the Nikeijin Kaikan, and that there is cold
water that springs from the walls that you can drink is the most
amazing thing of all.
Jorge Sensei with the children of Santa Elena.
*****
All of the foundations I visited in Cali were doing wonderful
work, and each found their way into my heart. This time however,
we selected the Dignity and Life Foundation for AHAN support
. While in Cali, Ipersonally and on behalf of AHAN donated a
month’s supply of food and other daily necessities.. We
also discussed plans to establish a fundraising project at Nippon
Kan Headquarters to supply 40 uniforms for the children of Santa
Elena to wear to Aikido practice at the Nippon Budokan. We also
discussed the possibility of coordinating a Japanese taiko druming
concert in Cali this coming fall to raise funds to further support
the Foundation’s programs.
It was a very short visit, but I was able to meet so many people
related by Aikido that were giving so generously of themselves
to their communities, so many that were sacrificing their time
and talents for the benefit of others.
Reading this article might give you the impression that Cali
is mostly made up of distressed and impoverish areas. This is
not true, and I do not want to leave you with that impression
about Cali. It is also a beautiful, prosperous city with a rich
history and people rich in heart who understand the need to provide
support and help for others who are less fortunate in the area.
I have learned and felt many things from this visit to Cali
which have been very valuable for me. This trip also made me
aware of how much I do not know about the country of Colombia
and that my preconceptions were not at all based in the rich
reality of this country I was delighted to visit.
To all of those I met in Cali, thank you very much for your
care and generosity. I sincerely appreciate it.
Gaku Homma
Nippon Kan Kancho
---
Editors note
IMPORTANT UPDATE
On June 18th, 2008 40 keiko gis were delivered to the children
of Santa Elena’s Dignity and Life Foundation by AHAN from
the members of Nippon Kan Headquarters. Link
Here to the May-July Activity Report 2008 “Colombian Keiko
Gi’s
for Kid’s
Coffee Campaign. All photos taken with permission.
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