A Leader in Community Transformation
As communities participate in the development process, certain individuals emerge as leaders in the transformation of their community. Noralba, known to everyone in SalSiPuedes as “Chachi”, is one of those dynamic leaders who loves to serve her community.
Chachi is approachable and deeply committed to the well-being of her people, especially the children. Together with other women from SalSiPuedes and neighboring communities, Chachi runs a reading club, a space that has sparked a love of books and learning in the children. This process, which is sometimes shared through exchanges with other communities, has enabled many children to read with confidence from a very young age, filling their families with hope.
At home, she works tirelessly alongside her husband to tend their productive areas—the dry tropical forest, their vegetable garden, and their pigs, chickens and other small animals. Their lives have improved over the years as Sembrandopaz has helped to strengthen their community. This has deepened Chachi’s commitment to caring for her community, her family, and the land.
A few months ago, Chachi’s home benefited from the installation of a rainwater harvesting system to access better-quality water, addressing one of the main needs identified in the community and across much of the region. This system represents a significant and long-term improvement in her family’s living conditions by facilitating access to water for domestic and productive use. Chachi expressed her deep gratitude for this support and voiced her hope that other families in the community could benefit from a similar system, recognizing the positive impact these actions have on community life.
Chachi’s story reflects what happens when community leadership, collective effort and access to basic solutions come together. With every seed she sows, every child she helps to read and every step she takes for her community, Chachi continues to bring about positive change, not just for herself, but for everyone around her.
Colombia Sincelejo Montes de Maria is led by Mennonite Central Committee and local partner Sembrandopaz