On Wednesday, March 20th, the Change Stories team began the day with a site visit to the Manzana del Cuidado de Cuidad Bolivar (Block of Care in Bolivar). The bus dropped off the group at the TransMiCable cable car, which connects the people on a steep hillside to transportation and other resources. The TransMiCable costs $2300 pesos per trip – around US$0.70, and includes 163 cabins with room for 10 passengers each. Before the TransMiCable connected these communities, the walk from the bottom of the hill to the top could take over 70 minutes; now it takes less than 18 minutes.
At the Manzana del Cuidado de Cuidad Bolivar, we saw resources for residents including a place to pay their bills and taxes locally rather than needing to travel down the TransMiCable. Mental health and nursing and health services are also available at the Manzana del Cuidado. Additionally, access to educational resources are available as well.
Returning back to the Universidad de los Andes on the TransMilenio bus was an experience of rapid public transportation within the city. Many locals in Bogotá use the TransMilenio for their daily commutes. The rest of the day was filled with sessions focused on how the Change Stories project can directly serve and benefit the community based organizations working on the project. These discussions exposed a strong desire to maintain connections, strengthen relationships, continue conversations, share resources and tools, and continue to exchange knowledge in the future. At the end of the day, participants were able to explore Bogotá on their own for a free evening.