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  • Title: Life and love in the barrios.
    Author: Kendall S.
    Journal: Earthwatch; 1991; (43):12-3. PubMed ID: 12284495.
    Abstract:
    Although migrant pressure on metropolitan areas has begun easing in Colombia, migrants from the departments of Boyaca and Cundinamarca continue to stream into the capital city of Bogota, where they face severe hardships. In Colombia, the social conditions for rural inhabitants have been improving. Per capita income has increased, family size has decreased, and women have begun to find greater opportunities. The rate of vaccination and contraceptive prevalence are now almost the same for urban and rural populations. These changes have lessened the incentive to migrate to the city. But in Boyaca and Cundinamarca, where over-intensive farming has aggravated poverty, people continue to leave Bogota. Many of the new arrivals already have relatives or friends who help them get established. But for those who don't, life is difficult. The article tells the story of Hermencia, who left Boyaca at age 12. Now 59, Hermencia has worked as a maid most of her life, changing from job to job. She has had 6 children from 3 different fathers. Luckily for Hermencia, her patrons helped her find a permanent home, and her family has maintained a network. And none of her children ended up in the street, as did Frankie, an 18 year-old from Cundinamarca. Frankie arrived in Bogota with his father, who became the bodyguard of a drug trafficker and was subsequently killed. Frankie has lived 6 years in the streets. Frankie is known to the police for mugging and drug abuse. He has a 16 year-old girlfriend who is pregnant. This is not uncommon. Women living in immigrant barrios average 4-5 children, compared to 2-3 in other low-income areas in Bogota.
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