Who is Jaime Jaramillo?
by The amazing story of the man who took on a huge humanitarian challenge and won the hearts of the orphaned children who lives he saved and that of a nation.
During our lifetimes certain individuals come along who’s sacrifices, selflessness and dedication to helping the misfortunes of others is outstanding. Jaime Jaramillo is one such individual.
Jaime is an ex oil industry executive, now author and public speaker, who founded Niño’s de los Andes, charity, organization, back in 1988. The organization has been opening shelters, through fund raising since 2002 across Colombia. It house’s orphaned children, where they receive medical care and education. Many of the shelters graduates have been awarded scholarships to Universities and colleges in the USA and Europe, thanks to papa Jaime, as he was first called by his orphaned children and since by the entire country.
It all started back in 1973 when Jaime, who was born in the city of Manizales- Colombia, was working in Bogota. Jaime witnessed a young girl being hit by a car and killed because she was trying to retrieve an empty box from the road.
Jaime went out night after night to the streets of Bogota talking to children living on the streets. After helping one girl in particular who was terribly burned, Jaime asked her to show him where she lived. She took him down a public sewer, and there to his amazement, Jaime discovered many children like her, living in dark, sewage filled, dangerous under ground sewers. Jaime knew that the authorities and the residents of Bogotá had failed these poor children who had been displaced from their homes through no fault of their own. From then on he dedicated his life to those children. He began by feeding them which, he soon came to realize wasn’t enough.
So he formed groups of volunteers, including health care professional to patrol the streets of Bogota and give assistance, including medical and dental services. Today there are still homeless children living on the streets of Bogota and other Colombian cities, however there are no children living in the sewers, thanks to the ongoing relentless work of Jaime Jaramillo who has brought public awareness and support worldwide to the plight of orphaned children living on our streets.
photo credit: photobucket.com
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