Cartagena Colombia is a step back into time as you walk through their old cities filled with colonial architecture, old roads and white sandy beaches. It’s a tourist attraction, but not everyone benefits from those tourism dollars.
Just beyond the popular attractions are communities steeped in poverty. That poverty shifted the lives of friends who had been traveling there for vacation.
Bernard Minter, Antonio Morel and Max Morel are all a part of a local non-profit “Reaching the Unreached.” Their mission is to help against the poverty the looms over the small community of La Maria, Colombia.
JENESE: “How did the idea come up to create the organization?”
MAX MOREL, BOARD MEMBER: “Essentially for us, especially my brother and I, our family has always given back.”
They noticed something different beyond the beautiful tourist areas of Cartagena Colombia.
“One of those things that we noticed is that the disparity between where the tourists are and where the locals actually live,” said Max Morel, a board member for Reaching the Unreached.
As they walked through the tight-knit community filled with steep hills, the homes were stacked one by one on top of and beside each other with the bare necessities.
The three men decided to go to the store and donate to the neighborhood.
“We brought enough toys for X amount of kids, we had to turn away way too many kids and i think that’s that stray that broke the camel’s back,” said Morel.
They never wanted to turn a child away ever again. They formed ‘Reaching the Unreached’ to help more.
They have given over 7,000 pounds of food, and dozens upon dozens of toys.
At the end of 2024, they’ve made their third trip. This time every child was given a toy. The feeling of giving has become priceless.
“We kept giving more stuff and they gave love back and appreciation so that’s the type of currency that I like,” said Bernard Minter Junior a board member.
“We had 145 kids sitting in front of us when we were there speaking, I choked up a few times because when you see these kids and you are giving them that glimmer of hope you see the brightness in their eyes,” said Max Morel a board member.
“The whole experience from day one is just emotional just because when you’re giving and these people have very little I think they are a big believer in their God and they have so much faith,” said Antonio Morel, a board member.
Their giving was like an answered prayer.
Now that the men are back in Jacksonville, they are already thinking of ways to grow the non-profit and help more through sustainability.
“It’s going to be how can we give back to how can we build a boys and girls club or do something more with the organization that already exist and making sure that these kids now have literacy that they can read and write,” said Max Morel.
“Reaching the Unreached” reminds those who may have less that they matter and are not forgotten.
If you would like to help Reaching the Unreached visit their website at: www.reachingtheunreached.org