Girls Without Fear

On the outskirts of Bogota, Colombia lies a small town known as Soacha. The population is around 82,000, nearly 50 percent of which are displaced persons. The displaced persons come from all over Colombia. They are often escaping areas controlled by the rebel groups, FARC and ELN. These groups send their guerillas to collect what Colombians call vacunas (vaccines), these are fees they pay for “protection” and showing support for the groups. The support is involuntary if you’re poor and can only afford to live in a certain area. Mostly it is full of hardworking individuals and families who are doing their best, but it is still riddled with problems we often associate with poverty.

There is a foundation there that does everything they can to help empower the local girls. But in order to talk more about them, it is important to understand the town and people.

A Glimpse at Life in Soacha

The poorest part of Soacha is Ciudadela Sucre, and it comprises 10 neighborhoods and 40,000 residents packed tightly together on the hills. A vast number of whom get up at 4 am to ride the local bus down the narrow, curvy roads — 97% of which are unpaved with steep ravines — to the TransMilenio (public bus for Bogota) and go to their low-paying construction or cleaning jobs that keep food on the table for their families. During the trip down, our rider might see other families with various farm animals in their compact yards and some that even allow these animals to roam in their equally compact homes. The kids are also up, as they have to get ready for a similar trip to school. Through the windows, while the bus slows down to pick more people up, our rider might spot an 11-year-old girl helping her younger brother get ready for school before she does anything for herself.

Struggles of Young Colombianas in Soacha

In Ciudadela Sucre, girls from 0 to 14 years old account for around 20 percent of the population. From a young age, these girls will often be responsible for their younger siblings, especially if they have brothers. This can range from getting them up and ready for school to taking care of them for hours after school while their parents work.

One girl I met was 9, but was in charge of her teenage sister’s 1-year-old and sometimes could not attend class because it was only she and her mom as the sister had left home. Colombia has the third-highest teen pregnancy rate in Latin America. Motherhood is obviously an important role, but in this community, it’s seen in such high regard by teens that many of the girls are a bit too eager to step into the role. Their families often push them into it as well because for many it is the only expectation they have of the daughters. Throughout the markets at the bottom of the hill, there were girls who should be contemplating their major in university, stuffing pacifiers in their screaming babies’ mouths.

Problems of Living in a Machista Society

All over Colombia, girls and women face a society built by men and for men. Even in more progressive cities, like Bogota, women often have to be more mindful of the surrounding men. A friend of mine had this to say, “On the buses, men will take advantage of a crowded area and inappropriately rub against women. We are the target of various attacks, like acid attacks for turning down a man or sexual violence, and there is little we can do without risking more violence and even death.”

There has, in fact, been an uptick in acid attacks on women in Latin America, but the most disconcerting number is the 23,798 cases of sexual violence reported in 2017. Of those, 87% were perpetrated against children (under 18). The average age of those who reported was between 10–13 and a majority were girls, although the actual number of boys is unknown because of the stigmatization. Even with such a large number, NGOs estimate that it represents just 30% of the real number. According to a report by the Colombian Public Prosecutor, there could be 200,000 per year. They often go unreported out of fear of the person retaliating as they are often someone close to the victim and there is an impunity rate of 98% for these cases.

Niñas sin Miedo (Girls without Fear)

The organization opened its doors in 2016. Natalia Espitia, the founder who until 2013 — at 27 years old — could not ride a bike. A traumatic incident while visiting Buenos Aires and advice from her then-boss inspired the once timid woman to learn to ride bikes to empower herself in the streets of Bogotá. She and her mother began taking lessons at a free school and before long she had the confidence to ride her bike throughout Bogotá. Natalia used her victory to empower young girls in Soacha and in 2016 with a pretty small team, a dream, and a few used bicycles brought her foundation to Comuna 4. The girls learn to ride bikes, but they also study sexual education, reproductive rights, human rights, leadership, English, and so much more.

“It all started because someone told me stop crying and learn to ride a bicycle” Natalia Espitia on her foundation’s website.

I was only there for a couple of months, but I noticed the difference in the behavior of some girls. There were some very timid girls who seemed to lack self-confidence until after a few weeks of attending classes on the weekdays, and the Saturday bike school they were showing much more confidence in themselves. The volunteers who might be students, teachers, lawyers, office workers, baristas, and engineers during the week spend their Saturdays bringing these girls from training wheels to road warriors.

They show the girls there are other options for them. There is nothing wrong with motherhood, but the program educates them on what it means to be a parent and the immense responsibility it is to raise a child. They can then decide what is right for them and hopefully use their teenage years to make something of themselves to end the poverty cycle that so many from Soacha find themselves in.

Author’s note: I will share my personal experiences and photos with Niñas sin Miedo in a future article as I want this one solely about the foundation and why it exists.