Meet the Communications Coordinator from Cartagena, Colombia

Monday, September 21, 2009 by Kelly Nix
Marelvis Campo, Communications Coordinator for our child sponsorship agency in Cartagena, Colombia, has been part of the CI team for the past eight years.

Marelvis holds a degree in Journalism and Social Communication. Prior to joining Children International, she worked in radio and television in local and regional markets within Colombia. She began working for CI as an intern, but very soon, says Marelvis, “I realized this was where I needed to be; I needed to apply everything I had learned to the organization to show people the work Children International does to help the poorest and neediest children of the city.”

Children International’s Communications Coordinators (CCs) are the field correspondents who report on the stories and news items that later appear in our print and Web publications. According to Marelvis, a typical day for a CC might include visiting community centers, where they are joined by community volunteers prior to launching out into the community to visit children’s homes for photos and interviews. They walk through the neighborhoods seeking information, taking pictures, chatting with people and interviewing children and their families to gain a better understanding of how the program is impacting their lives. Then, at the end of the day, they travel back to the office and begin to compile the information they obtained to be transmitted to our writers in Kansas City.

When asked about her favorite memories of her job, Marelvis immediately speaks of working with a young girl with osteogenesis imperfecta, or Brittle Bone Disease. “In spite of her disabilities, she was able to finish grade school, and she’s close to graduating from high school,” she recalls. “When I learned of her story, I interviewed her and she told me she dreamed of having a computer so she could do her homework. I shared her wish with a friend who works for a local newspaper. Stirred by this girl’s efforts and by her mother’s great love for her, my friend wrote a special Mother’s Day feature about the girl’s mother. As a result, a kind reader donated a computer for the girl so her wish could come true.

“One very special moment for me,” reflects Marelvis, “was when I realized that even small efforts mean a great deal to the people for whom we work.”

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