ELI volunteer serves the poor back home

ELI grad Jose Usegu (center) distributes food and clothing to poor farmers for a foundation he directs in Dabeiba, Colombia

It may have been karma.

When Jose Usugu received a scholarship from ELI to study in the American law and legal English program in July, he wasn’t used to receiving help. Rather, for the last ten years, the 35-year-old lawyer has been on the giving end of charity — helping the poor and the victims of political violence in rural Colombia.

“When I was 17, I understood the difficult social and economic situation that some Colombians live in,” he said.

That was the year his younger brother was killed in violence between guerrillas and paramilitaries. Jose’s family was forced, like many Colombians, to flee their hometown for the provincial capital, Medellin, where they continue to live. But Jose and his family never forgot their roots in Dabeiba. They began traveling to the small rural town five hours east of Medellin in order to bring money, food and used clothes to their fellow Dabeibanos. A year and a half ago, some of Jose’s friends joined them, and they formed a foundation, Dabeiba Viva.

“Through it, we have helped people who have been displaced by violence and need support for their survival,” he said.

“We help them with education programs, health programs and food aid.”

The money comes primarily from the 12 members of the foundation, each of whom contributes monthly to a fund. Every two months those living in Medellin set out in two cars for Dabeiba. There they spend the weekend distributing a community newspaper with articles about health, farming and other educational topics that the members write themselves. For the September issue, Jose wrote an article about the electoral campaign, urging citizens to vote in the regional elections in October. The foundation members go house to house distributing 1,000 copies of the free paper. For two days they hold workshops and cultural contests, and, once a year in November, they distribute food and clothing to the poor who come into town from the rural areas for the local grain festival.

In Newark, Jose was an active participant in ELI’s volunteer service learning activities. Now back in Colombia, he’s devoting himself to the Dabeiba Viva foundation, which he directs, while he looks for a new job. “I love helping people,” he said. • BM

For more information about Dabeiba Viva, visit http://www.dabeibaviva.net