Supply the Love: Colombia
Supply the Love: We supply the camera and film and you supply the love! We would love to have you be an ambassador of Print the Love! If you are traveling to an under-resourced community anywhere on the globe in the next year and would like to participate in spreading random photo kindness to the local people, lets chat! Together we can make a difference! Application is online.
The Supply the Love program is 100% supported by donors. If you are not travelling, you can still donate funds towards the camera and film for those who are.
As part of the program, we ask that ambassadors write a short description of their experience. All the words and photos are their own.
Karen in Colombia
Recently, a team from Christ Presbyterian Church traveled to Cartagena, Colombia with Opportunity International (OI) to witness firsthand how lives are being transformed. A meaningful part of our journey was partnering with Print the Love, which generously provided Fuji Instax instant cameras for us to share photographs with the families, children and teachers we met along the way.
OI works alongside families living in extreme poverty, and during our visit, we learned about the organization's Ultra Poor Graduation Program, which serves families facing some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Participants receive coaching, business training, financial education, and social/emotional support to start income-generating businesses that can create long-term stability and independence.
A highlight of our trip was attending a graduation ceremony celebrating 451 participants who had completed the program. Most of the graduates were women, many of them mothers, whose determination and perseverance had helped them move from extreme poverty toward greater stability and self-sufficiency. The celebration was filled with joy, pride, and hope as graduates were recognized for the hard work they had invested in building brighter futures for themselves and their families.
While the graduation ceremony demonstrated the scale of the program's impact, visiting graduates in their homes allowed us to see the transformation on a deeply personal level. We met a mother of four who started a sewing business from her home. Through her skills as a seamstress and the support she received, she has built a steady source of income that allows her children to attend a private school where they are receiving a quality education and opportunities she once could only dream about.
Another woman shared how she had previously been living on the streets with her children. Through the program, she learned to start a bread-making business. Today, she lives with her sister while continuing to grow her enterprise and save toward a permanent home for herself and her family. Her determination and hope for the future were impossible to miss.
In addition to visiting entrepreneurs, we spent time at a private school participating in OI’s EduQuality program. EduQuality equips schools with training, resources, and support to improve educational quality for students from underserved communities. Despite learning in buildings that were often modest and repurposed, the students carried themselves with pride, gratitude, and an eagerness to learn that was inspiring to witness.
At the school, the cameras became an unexpected bridge between our team and the students and teachers we met. As the images slowly developed, anticipation quickly turned into excitement. Children gathered around to watch the photographs appear, their faces lighting up with surprise and delight. Students eagerly showed their pictures to friends while teachers joined in the fun, smiling as they received photographs of their own. What seemed like a small gesture created moments of connection that none of us will soon forget.
Many of us take photographs every day and store thousands of images on our phones. Yet for many of the children and teachers we encountered, having a printed photograph of themselves was a rare experience. In those moments, the photographs became more than pictures. They became reminders that every person is seen, valued, and worthy of being celebrated.
There was a connection between the work of Opportunity International and the mission of Print the Love. One provides resources, training, and opportunities that help families build brighter futures. The other provides a photograph that says, "You matter. You are seen." Together, they reminded us that lasting transformation begins when people are given both the opportunity to thrive and the dignity of knowing they are valued.
We returned home deeply grateful for the opportunity to witness lives being transformed and thankful to Print the Love for helping create moments of joy and connection. Long after the photographs were handed out, we believe the memories—and the smiles they inspired—will remain. Just as importantly, the stories behind those photographs will continue as families build businesses, educate their children, and create brighter futures for generations to come.
