Cigarra is a nonprofit organization,
founded in May of 2002 in Federal Way, WA, USA. It has a sister organization
in Bogotá, Colombia.
Our stated objective
is to aid very low income families, in particular, those that have been
displaced by Colombia’s civil war, and who live in Puertas del
Paraíso, a small community within Ciudad Bolivar, one of the
working class suburbs of Bogotá, Colombia. We provide assistance
to some 250 families with a total population of approximately 750 members.
Cigarra’s objective is to instill hope and optimism in those we
help. The name itself, “Cigarra” is emblematic of our mission.
It is the Spanish word for cicada or tree locust, the insect that spends
the first part of its life underground, later to emerge full grown in
order to complete its life cycle above ground. At different times, different
cultures have held cicadas as symbols of reincarnation, rebirth or resurrection.
Our philosophy is to be an organization of deeds, not words. If we have
been able to achieve so much in so little time it is because we are
all of one mind.
With the lessons
learned during this first phase of our work, in the future we hope to
expand our mission to nearby areas