What’s yellow, blue and read all over?
In a sincere way, we welcome you to our ACÁ blog space. From time to time, we’ll be providing updates as to what ACÁ is busy doing with and FOR Colombian adoptees around the world. Hopefully you’ve already seen our social media pages. Quick FYI: those pages will be used primarily to bring awareness back here to ACÁ’s website and resources.
Our head is still spinning at how we have finally achieved official charitable non-profit 501c3 status, we have a developing budget, a solid logo and a rapidly growing network of Colombian adoptees, as well as allies, around the world ready to collaborate and help.
One of the more strategic spaces ACÁ is choosing to step into is that of the vast reach of the Colombian government’s diplomatic community. This includes, but is not limited to, Colombian Embassies and Consulates around the world. Another quick FYI: the difference between an Embassy and a Consulate are, essentially, the following: Embassies are the main diplomatic representation in a capital city of another country, which deals with a broad range of diplomatic issues (is physically larger and better staffed than consulates). Consulates are more for promoting trade, economic relations and immigration-related issues in other major cities in another country. As you’ll see on our resource pages here on the website, as Colombian adoptees we will want to communicate with our consulates (not embassies) to obtain documentation and assistance with our cases.
If you’re reading this today, July 2nd, you’re reading it on the same day the ACÁ team is hand-delivering a letter of introduction to the Colombian Ambassador in the U.S., Dr. Luis Gilberto Murillo. In this letter, the ACÁ team outlines its mission, vision and hope for a continued relationship between higher levels of Colombian government and Colombian adoptees around the world. Many of us have seen and felt how frustrating it is to not hear back when we write to consulates or others. We work hard to be vulnerable enough to try….and many times we’re ignored or cast aside, relegated to the confines of being labeled ‘not important enough’. Our hope is that with this letter and continued engagement with these officials, those days will be behind us.
The physical letter is not the only delivery we made today. The ACÁ team also sent the same introduction letter, in digital format, to multiple Colombian consulates around the world. Our thinking is this: introduce ourselves to as many people in the Colombian diplomatic community as possible so they can be much more aware of how to better serve our global adoptee community when we come knocking on their doors or their inboxes. Things function with strict hierarchies in Colombian government circles, so we’re leaning into that reality, meeting them where they’re at so they can meet us where we’re at.
We will close with one of the final pieces from the letter, so you can have an idea of our thinking moving forward:
“How many Colombian emigrants decide not to continue connecting with their country of origin? Our community represents a different opportunity, with a different mentality. Many of us DO want to return. We do want to connect more with the cultures in Colombia. We do want to study there, send our children to study, buy land, vote in elections, or rather, really participate as Colombians that we are.”
What do you think? In the comments below, go ahead and tell us, in your own words, the benefits this effort could bring for Colombian adoptees! Think about the benefits for our community in the short and long term.
WELCOME TO ACÁ
Welcome to the Alianza of Colombian Adoptees (ACÁ) Blog, a space dedicated to amplifying the voices and experiences of Colombian adoptees.
