Our Start
Friends of Colombian Orphans was created in 2007 after Jane and John King adopted a Colombian teen  from Bogota.  During their extended stay in the city, they visited a number of orphanages and realized that the kids housed in institutions due to parental poverty, abuse or abandonment, have few options once they age out of their institutions. Transferred to half way houses at the age of 16, these kids struggle for success in one of the largest cities of the world. At first, the Kings concentrated on fundraising for physical repairs at orphanages: replacing windows, installing gutters, fixing playground equipment. They gave the girls in one orphanage a Christmas party and distributed donated scarves, hats and other gifts.
A Dream
Knitter/weaver and now board member Laritza Taft became aware of FOCO’s mission and contacted Jane. She suggested that, instead of soliciting donated knitted items for the kids, why not TEACH machine knitting and give them a skill that will serve them well in the world of clothing manufacturing and knitwear? Jane and Laritza spent a year talking about the logistics of developing a program in Bogota from far away in the USA.
Making it a Reality
Laritza had contacts in the sewing community and found machines at the Singer retail outlet in Bogota. Jane and John asked their friend Mario in Bogota for help with the development of a knitting program for kids in orphanages. Mario’s “other’job is helping adoptive parents through adoption process in Colombia so he knows the city and its institutions well. He found  a knitting teacher and an institution that was willing to house our two machines and we were good to go! In August 2009, our first classes took place.
Growing the Dream
Every new program has some stumbles . During the course of the last eighteen months, we have seen some changes in the program, all positive. We are now in a long term care facility for men, women and children : Hogares Club Michin, Students are learning how to make baby clothing and sweaters for young children.
http://www.hogaresclubmichin.com/home/   We have 5 machines, a group of young knitters, a dedicated teacher and in November 2010, our first contract for uniform sweaters for the kids housed at Club Michin!
The Future
Our goal is to lease a space in Bogota, on the bus line so that we can offer our program to more young men and women. We envision a safe place filled with machines, a day care center, a business center and a retail outlet. A cooperative model for these young entrepreneurs will ensure that everyone works together to achieve success. The knitters can sell what they make in Colombia or abroad. FOCO will continue to provide mentorship, outlets for sales of knitted items, machines, yarn, instruction and a place to work.