With the support of the Tras la Perla Foundation, residents manage to transform access to Puerto Gaira beach
This is the translation of the article published by the newspaper El Vocero de la Provincia in Santa Marta, Colombia, on September 26, 2023.
Puerto Gaira is a small but beautiful beach, located between Salguero and what used to be Mi Ranchito. Little known to tourists, before the pandemic, only the residents enjoyed its soft sand and crystal-clear waters, whose ideal temperature caressed us daily. The charm spread, and with it came the tents. Today, we share it with neighbors and visitors from the Rodadero area.
This still remains a great living area, but we had one inconvenience: Some rocks obstructed (especially for elderly people) access to the beach without assistance.
As can be seen in the ‘before and after’ photos taken after a recent project, Sonia Ardila, a neighbor with the gift of serving the community without any other motive than overcoming obstacles in unpleasant situations, such as the rocks that not only marred the site’s beauty but also posed an evident danger.
But then Sonia Ardila appeared, taking the matter into her own hands as if it were her own terrace.
Sonia proposed asking the City Hall to fix the rocky descent, but unfortunately, no official responded. So, she decided to expend every last drop of sweat to resolve the situation. But let her be the one to tell ‘her odyssey’ of bringing the project to fruition:
“In the beginning of the year, Eduardo Tovar (a 78-year-old neighbor) told me that he used to swim far out and enjoyed it a lot, but a few years ago, he fell while coming down those rocks. He had to undergo surgery and ended up with a lot of metal plates in his arm, losing a significant amount of mobility. I realized that his quality of life had decreased due to his mobility issues, and he could no longer swim.
In March, I sent a formal request to the City Hall, asking for a permanent police station (CAI) for the beach and requesting the repair of the beach access. The City Hall responded, suggesting that I organize a meeting to discuss these issues, and they would attend.
The meeting took place in mid-May. Several authorities attended to discuss various issues, and the Manager of EDUS (the entity in charge of this type of infrastructure) mentioned that concerning the beach access, she couldn’t commit to specific actions or dates. That’s when I realized that if we, the neighbors, didn’t take the initiative, no organization would. I assembled a team: Federico de la Rosa, a lawyer, to work on the legal safeguards and protect the project (so that no one could stop it), Frank Silvera to find the contractor and obtain material quotes. Frank connected us with Álvaro Navarro, an expert in stamped concrete floors, who had previously worked on the boardwalks of Santa Marta and El Rodadero.
Federico and I drafted petitions for various authorities. I collected signatures from the neighbors at the beach, and at the beginning of July, Federico submitted all those letters. Meanwhile, my team was progressing with ideas about the design and materials. By the end of July, I started telling the neighbors that we would create the beach access together, costing less than 18 million pesos, and that we needed to gather the money collectively.
In early August, the Tras La Perla Foundation, led by Carlos Vives, joined the project, contributing half of the funds. Throughout August, we collected money from the neighbors using the Foundation’s digital platform. Some neighbors mentioned difficulty contributing through this method but still wanted to help. So, I started collecting funds on the beach, providing receipts, and manually recording donors. The Foundation suggested that we commence the project only when we had 100% of the funds to avoid the risk of having to halt the work. By mid-August, even without reaching that 100%, I proposed starting the project at the end of the month. This way, those who hadn’t donated yet might be encouraged after seeing the work and would contribute. It was also a way to honor the trust of those who had already donated. So, in agreement with the Foundation, we took the plunge.
We made the first material purchases, prepared the labor team, and started on Monday, August 28th. Eleven business days later, on Saturday, September 9th, at 1 pm, the project was completed, and the workers left happily after accomplishing the mission.
At 5:30 pm, after the paint on the steps edges had dried, I moved some fences, and the beach access with the square, stairs, and ramp was completed 100%
During the construction, neighbors passed by and thanked the workers, praising the quality of their work and the speed. Thanks to the well-done job, master Alvaro’s team secured two more projects in El Rodadero Sur. A lot was achieved, even changing perceptions. In the preliminary phase before the start of the construction, I told the guys: ‘You can change the idea that people from the coast are slow. Let’s do this well and fast.’ I also told them that the project was a showcase for them because everyone would be amazed by the quality and speed of the work. And it was.
El Mono Dulce and Claudia collaborated by taking care of and supervising the materials, storing them in their house.
I received many congratulatory messages because it was evident that the project wasn’t from the District, progressing so quickly. The neighbors were very appreciative of Alvaro Navarro (the master craftsman). In addition to the financial payment received by the workers, I know that they were deeply impacted by what they achieved. They were motivated because they knew this project would change the lives of many neighbors who could now access the beach without any fear.”
“P.S. Two days after completing the project, we received a response from the District’s Secretary of Infrastructure regarding our petition, stating that they didn’t have a budget for the project in 2023 and that perhaps in 2024 they could consider the matter. So, while they were drafting the response, we took action. End of the story.”
