Letter from our School Director

Brothers and Sisters, Welcome!

Thank you for your interest in our Institución Etnoeducativa Rural La Paz.

Your visit brings joy and hope to our priceless project of aide, guidance and education to the Wayuu children of the La Paz Township in La Guajira, Colombia.

Among the many and wonderful purposes God has for every human being, I returned to the land of my ancestors many years ago. In Wayuu culture, it is the mother’s lineage that determines your position, and rights in the land. Our township back then was a mere mud erected ranch; extremely humble, poor, but filled with God’s presence, grit , passion, faith and determination.

I remember arriving with indifference towards the pain, misery, social injustice and abuses inflicted upon my Wayuu elders and family members. At the time, I understood my numbness towards it was an obvious feeling, one that should not have bothered me. At the time, I was coming to my homeland from enjoying the virtues of a normal life away from any rural and humble beginnings; water, electricity, three meals a day, snacks, an education, a roof over my head, social relations and many other amenities. However, reality eventually struck, and it was on was on my birthday on March 20th, 1991, while in Ranch La Paz that I asked God to show me purpose, my reason for being on this earth, I felt my life needed meaning and a guiding light.

It wasn't too long after that petition that God answered me. Strange feelings and emotions took over my mind and my heart. I questioned why so many children in the community were dying, the tiny school my sisters had begun was foreign to me, I had never met the teachers or students. I could not understand why the level of illiteracy was so high; most of the community members scarcely new how to write or transcribe their names and only a handful possessed basic reading skills. Why so much misery? How could they survive without drinking water? Who helped them? Where were the fathers of so many wandering children? I only saw women and mothers in the community. All of these questions led me to elevate my sight and realize this was happening in the entire region, not just my community. It was then that I told my creator: “here I am, let me do my part, simply tell me what I have to do.”

From that day on the wonderful story of Institución Etnoeducativa Rural La Paz begun. I soon realized that I wasn’t the only one God was speaking to, many others around me manifested themselves in ways that motivated and supported a common goal of bringing positive changes and painting smiles in the faces of those society had left behind and forgotten.

We have enjoyed many triumphs in the areas that begun this journey and led me to relocate to my motherland indefinitely. However, we have also faced our share of hardships as enemies of God and our project knock at our children’s lives. Our school and the future of our children are constantly at stake. Facing “student poachers” who for a bag of rice and a gallon of water buy a poor indigenous child’s education is a constant. Add to that the lack of classrooms; the extremely low poverty rate of the region limits access to basic school materials, staff, uniforms, healthy meals, steady support from the state and local government organizations, transportations for those children that walk hours for their only meal of the day, it is sad, hard at times, but God has never forgotten us.

Dear visitor, thank you for taking the time to read my story and begin perusing our site to better understand this beautiful life project. I pray I have planted the seed of love in favor of our Wayuu children in this our generation.

May God Bless You,
Reyes M. Lindao Uriana - School Director