Sitting on the balcony of her apartment in Medellín, 34 weeks pregnant, Andrea González reflected upon her two identities, and how a foundation she established to help at-risk women has — perhaps unexpectedly — helped in her own personal growth.
“It doesn’t matter if you are from Colombia. It doesn’t matter if you are from The Netherlands. If you get the chance to help, it can only be a positive impact,” González said, describing some issues she’s faced recently connecting to her Colombian heritage.
When she was just six months old, González was adopted from the capital Bogotá into a Dutch family and went to live in The Netherlands. It wasn’t until six years ago that she took the leap to move back to Colombia, settling with her boyfriend in Medellín, the country’s second-largest city.
In 2020, she founded Mi Barrio Mi Sueño, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works with women and girls from La Honda, a neighborhood in Medellín’s eastern Manrique district, which is populated by a high number of people that have been displaced during Colombia’s decades-old armed conflict. The neighborhood has only had a water supply since 2020, and a majority of its residents arrive there after fleeing violence on the Atlantic coast.
Through the sport of boxing, the organization is empowering women in vulnerable situations in the community.
Returning to Colombia and finding a purpose
González had recently arrived in Medellín when the COVID-19 pandemic put normal life to a halt across the city — even in the poorest neighborhoods.
She decided to start an initiative to deliver food aid packages in La Honda where she met Diego Beltrán who has a boxing project, Boxeo para la Vida. While going door to door delivering packages, González heard signs of physical violence against women coming from inside the closed doors of homes.
In 2022, there were 47,771 cases of domestic violence reported by Colombia’s National Institute of Legal and Forensic Medicine, the actual number of cases is expected to be much higher.
González initiated a boxing programme exclusively for women, to teach them how to box, empowering them both mentally and physically, inviting Beltrán to be a part of the initiative, due to his experience teaching boxing.
“I read that it’s meant to really empower; it helped me overcome all my mental difficulties,” said González. “Especially with martial arts, in this case boxing, if you’ve been hit and now you have the power to hit back, I think it releases some trauma.”
The NGO now operates three main programs geared towards women: Barrio Boxing, Un Paso Adelante and Zero Hunger.
Barrio Boxing is for women and children to physically empower themselves, through both boxing classes, education and demystifying some key issues around gender. Un Paso Adelante provides educational classes for children, and a safe space for them to grow and be loved. Zero Hunger aims to help reduce hunger and malnourishment, providing stoves to families, as well as regular food aid packages.
With a background in sports education and social work, González was aware of the positive impact sport can have on reducing stress and coping with mental health issues like depression. “You create dopamine in your body, so if you have trauma and you create more positivity in your body, it’s already helping you,” explained González.
González says she’s seeing a positive impact. One woman in particular stood out: “She didn’t want to speak in the classes, she was very shy,” the director said. “However, in the end she was always speaking, always letting her voice be heard. And I mean, if you do that already in the programme, hopefully you also do that in your house.”
Despite the positive success, some challenges remain. She explained that it is sometimes hard to gain the trust of the community due to their difficult life experiences, and all they have been through because they feel that she’s “not from here.” González had to invest a lot of time to gain this trust.
“In the Netherlands I was different because of my skin color and who I was, but here I also see that I’m different,” she reflected.
What’s more, González said that gender inequality is pervasive in La Honda, with some young women and girls removed from the boxing program by their father figures because they believe “it’s only boys who box.”
And at times, it’s difficult to shake off a bad day after returning home. “When I hear stories, I bring them home”, said González. “It’s very hard to separate.”
The experiences, too, can remind her of her past, while also helping to heal it.
González describes how her mother and grandmother suffered through abusive relationships. “I think I’m the first one, because of my adoption, who didn’t have to suffer that,” she explained.
Of the children in the program, González said, “They heal me in so many ways … They are so pure. They really help my inner child.”
It’s not lost on her that had it not been for her adoption, she could have also ended up in a similar situation. “I could have been one of those children. I could have grown up like them.”
Less than two months away from having her own first child, González takes comfort knowing that due to the foundation, her child will “grow up in the whole tribe,” where “the baby is already so loved,” a sentiment González wishes for everyone.