On the fourth day of our programme we had an activity in which each of us had to write a word relating to human rights and then exchange it with our pair. We then went to different areas to take pictures expressing the term or word we had been given. We were advised to take 5 photos, in which one had to be specifically related to our human rights word.

This day was one of a kind. I don’t remember laughing this much in my life. The workshop was built on the play "Waiting for Godot", based in context of the Bosnian War.  We were exploring empathy, and thinking about how through theatre we could convey messages about the struggles of refugees, people in war and international communities struggling all over the world.

This workshop really put to test our verbal communication skills. We began by sitting in a circle and introducing ourselves to our facilitator who was an acting coach. He then briefly explained the history of the Yugoslav Wars and in particular the Bosnian War. We were surprised to find out that theatre had played such an important part in the lives of ordinary people during the war.

Nukanti is looking for motivated young people (18 to 25 years old) with interest in the topics of Human Rights, European Citizenship and Intercultural Exchange to take part in the project “Youth and Human Rights” 2, funded through the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. The project is organized and hosted by Fundación por los Derechos Humanos 10.12.48 (Spain), in cooperation with Nukanti (UK).

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to work in the NGO sector in Colombia, for the benefit of children and youth from vulnerable communities? If the answer is yes, then you should consider applying for our new part-time job opening in Bogotá, Colombia. 

Acrobatics are an integral part of Capoeira, and our youth are really great at it! Every month participants in our Playing for Freedom program get the chance to go to a specialized gym, where they can practice and improve their acrobatics skills. It is also an opportunity for the young people to leave their community of Ciudad Bolívar and get to know new people and places in Bogotá. Last month we were lucky to have a visit from Nukanti's founder and executive director Niousha Roshani, who is also a keen capoeirista.

Hola! I had always dreamed of visiting South America and finally my dream came true. This year I got the chance to take part in the Bilingual Risaralda program, carried out by Nukanti in cooperation with the local government of Risaralda.

Last Friday Nukanti´s community center in Cazucá was a place of happy celebration! We had the pleasure to host the prom event for 5th grade of local school Luis Carlos Galán. Some 30 children received their diplomas in the nicely decorated center, accompanied by their parents and friends. We congratulate all graduates and their teacher Jenifer who made this event come true with a lot of love and dedication.

After several months of preparations and fundraising Nukanti´s participants from the Playing for Freedom program finally had the chance to take part in the national graduation event of the Capoeira Nativos group in Colombia. Following the batizado especially organized for our children and youth in their own community of Ciudad Bolívar, some of them could travel to Villavicencio, three hours away from Bogotá, and spend two unforgettable days with other capoeiristas from all over the country. They could take part in various classes with masters from Brazil, several rodas and a tournament, as well as the graduation ceremony, or batizado.

Last week our youth from the Capoeira program Playing for Freedom had the chance to take part in the second batizado, or graduation ceremony, in their own community of Ciudad Bolívar. The ceremony took place i the local school, with guests from the Capoeira Nativos group in Bogotá and under the supervision of Mestre M. Aranha. A total 21 children and youth received cords in different colors corresponding to different levels in Capoeira, and got their efforts recognized by the Brazilian mestre and other cpoeiristas. A big Thank You to all our supporters who helped make this dream come true for our youth by donating online and offline!

One of the activities held at Nukanti´s community center in Cazucá, on the outskirts of Bogotá, is a reading workshop with children from the local school. The reading workshops, implemented in collaboration with local organization Lecturas Compartidas, are held every Tuesday with children from 6 to 12 years old. The goal is to stimulate children´s imagination and creativity through reading and books, and to teach them life values and social skills.

Zumba, pinwheels for peace, hip-hop and more - this is how we celebrated International Peace Day at Nukanti´s community centre in Cazucá, Colombia. On September 20th we gathered for a day full of activities where we could dance, learn, laugh and cook together, and thus really feel it is possible to live in a community, help and inspire each other, share what we know and always learn something new.

Last month Nukanti resumed the free yoga and dance classes in the community centre in Cazucá, on the outskirts of Bogotá, every Friday between 10 a.m. and 12 m. The classes have had big success among women in the community as they offer them an accessible sport activity to help overcome stress in their everyday lives. The group currently consists of about 10 women and girls from the community who learn about yoga and zumba under the tutoring of our volunteer Theodora Stankova.

As you know Nukanti is currently holding an extensive fundraising campaign for the Playing for Freedom capoeira program in Bogotá, Colombia, which includes an online crowdfunding campaign as well as various events in different parts of the world. As part of the campaign our founder and executive director Niousha Roshani, who together with fellow capoeirista Cristhian Casallas started the program in 2008, organized an event in Hong Kong on August 21st. The event included dancing, drumming and capoeira among other activities, and was highly successful with an impressive total raised of HK$ 7,300 / US$ 940. A big Thank You to all those who assisted and supported a good cause while having a lot of fun!

This month eight young women from Nukanti´s flagship program Playing for Freedom took part in the 2nd National Gathering of Female Capoeiristas which was held on August 16 in Bogotá, Colombia. The aim of the gathering was to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of women inclusion in the capoeira circles in the country, and to provide a space for female capoeiristas to exchange practical knowledge and experience.

After a month of volunteering with Nukanti in La Celia, a village in Colombia's beautiful coffee region, I'm going at full speed with the bilingualism project and I'm starting to feel grounded with the community. I can hardly walk around without being stopped every few metres. Students always want to say “Hi” and the younger ones like to run after me, asking me to translate various Spanish words in English. Up and down the main street, a stream of “Hello”, “Profe”, “Teacher” or “Veronica” follows me all day long. Although I'm not technically a teacher it feels wonderful to be recognized and appreciated.