Brad's blog - day three

Tamboral and Monteredondo schools

Travelling even higher into the mountains, the jeep we're in frequently gets stuck in the mud. The rains have created mudslides and landslides that we come across throughout the journey. If we're struggling, how on earth do the children get to the schools we're on our way to see?

Our welcome at Tamboral School is not what I expected. Having arrived at the isolated buildings in the clouds, we find armed soldiers, rather than children, who come to meet us. It turns out that we have our own military unit looking after us, as we have entered the heartland of the underworld. It’s hard to imagine any threat could exist – it’s such a remote, beautiful and peaceful place.

The peace is soon shattered by the excited children, as we are shown around the school and introduced to the teachers. As I chat to three of the older girls before they're interviewed on camera, they tell me (unprompted) how they learn about Fairtrade and how the premiums have built the secondary school building. There is a real pride that comes across and each of the three wear badges that declare their elected position on the school council – democracy in Colombia is evident everywhere.

However, not surprisingly, it’s difficult to put the students at ease – we are the first foreigners they have ever seen. Over lunch, the whole school entertains us and the children perform dances and sketches. Much of the content is lost on us due to the language barrier, but it's clear just how special a day this is for them. And for me.

It’s quite surreal to witness such innocence and happiness in the school, whilst the military patrol the perimeter. Before we leave, I give the children a copy of the Co-operative Fairtrade schools' pack and explain that pupils in the UK are also learning about Fairtrade. I leave them reading and once again feel that an important message has been delivered – that they, and thousands like them, are in the thoughts of their peers in the UK.

To our astonishment, our private platoon meet us at Monteredondo School, arriving there in half the time it took us to drive the two hours around the mountain on the mud tracks.

In stark contrast to Tamboral, Monteredondo is a school in despair. This is the place where, through our donation to celebrate five years of Fairtrade coffee from Aguadas, it was initially agreed by the Aguadas co-operative to invest in a new classroom. But the 25-year-old school has recently been condemned. The last two years of incessant rain during the supposed dry season have taken their toll and the foundations have been undermined. A roof has collapsed and, while Fairtrade premiums have repaired it, the classroom has become too dangerous to use. Cracks can be seen in the walls, and the playground is unsafe and falling away. The only answer is the relocation of the school and a total rebuild, so it is here where we commit to investing a major part of our donation. I just hope it’s enough; otherwise the children around the area will soon have no school to go to. It’s heartbreaking.

Day four