Development aid through information. Trying a new concept in Columbia

The origin, execution, and preliminary results of a development project in Cali (Colombia) are presented. This project, which involves a special concept, aims at breaking new ground in the field of development aid. The aim of the Vivamos Mejor foundation, established in Colombia, is to provide practical help for poor families. The foundation is carrying out two model projects at the moment, which provide urgently required help and which at the same time investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the projects in a scientific manner. Under the first project, teams of native inhabitants provide information and instruct the population thoroughly on questions of nutrition, hygiene, and birth control. Under the second project, children who are suffering from disease and malnutrition are temporarily rehabilitated in crèches, while at the same time their mothers learn how to provide the child and its brothers and sisters with a more healthy home. On one hand the Swiss projects in Cali aim at helping families in the poor areas there, while on the other, they are being scientifically analyzed as model projects in the hope that they can provide examples for the large cities in other developing countries.