| From the streets to college - Ana Juliet’s Remarkable Journey
Ana Juliet’s history is not uncommon among the orphans who are under the protection of the state in Colombia. Her first memories are of walking the streets of Bogota begging. Her mother was sent to jail when she was 7 and Ana was sent to live with relatives. Two years later she was returned to her mother and was again forced to beg in the streets with her two younger brothers and a new little sister. When violence and her mother’s substance abuse became unbearable, Ana sought protection for her and her siblings.
The children were sent to an orphanage and Ana’s sister was soon adopted. In 2004, her brother Pedro (then 12) was selected to participate in Kidsave’s Summer Miracles® program. Pedro’s host parent, Blair Wynkoop, learned of Pedro’s close relationship with his siblings, Ana Julieth and William. As a single man, he was permitted only to adopt boys. After much soul-searching, Blair adopted both Pedro and William. Ana Julieth, then 16, gave permission for her brothers to be adopted without her, provided that they could keep in touch.
On a trip to Colombia, Kidsave supporters Susan and David Dudas met Ana who shared with them her dream of attending college. Wanting to help her achieve that dream, the Dudas’ worked with Kidsave to provide financial support for Ana if she was accepted to college. Shortly thereafter, Ana met her Kidsave mentors, Manuela and Jorge Michelsen, who helped her apply to college. Ana was accepted to La Sabana University, one of the best private universities in Bogota.
Ana Juliet is going to school and volunteering at the Kidsave office in Bogota. Her mentors are working hard to find her a place to live near the university, as well as a job with flexible hours so she can continue her studies.
“I know I have been very lucky,” said Ana Juliet. “Without the help of all the extraordinary people who have crossed my path I wouldn’t be where I am now. My dream is to help other children in similar conditions in the same way I have been helped”.
Kidsave’s Encuentros Milagrosos program in Colombia is helping more children like Ana Juliet achieve their dreams | 
