Most Dangerous Ways To School | COLOMBIA | Free Documentary

we all know it walked it every day [Music] but none of them were like these the world's most dangerous ways to school [Music] freezing climbing risking their lives all for the chance of a better future spectacular and sometimes simply beautiful the world's most dangerous ways to score the bajo Kalka region in northern Colombia its landscape is marked by water and seemingly endless expanses every day the children who live there face this rough unpredictable wilderness with just one goal in mind making it to school because this is their chance to break out of poverty and create a better life [Music] for this they subject themselves to a daily dose of danger some of them must cross a ramshackle bridge that could collapse at any moment others are confronted with waters and bogs each day they carry not only a backpack but also the fear of coming face-to-face with a dangerous animal [Music] [Applause] for the Diageo's family the day starts at 4:30 in the morning while daughter Kennedy's is still sleeping father Salvador and mother Yazidis prepare breakfast like most people in this region they live with very meager means in this small wooden hut they have just enough money for food all the more reason whether 28 year old mother wants to give her children the chance to have a better life [Music] with the sunrise at six o'clock Yezidis wakes her daughter candies like almost every morning the ten-year-old doesn't have much time lessons will begin in just two hours kindiy school is far away and getting there is a major undertaking there is no running water the people who live here use collected rain and river water for cooking laundry and washing themselves [Music] candies 11 year old sister goes to the high school in the next bigger village of keturah 20 kilometers away the parents taught their two daughters what school is at an early age I like to go to school I learn a lot there her teacher promotes the talents of the individual students for candies it's painting this is from a movie we watched man had to collect the stones and when someone touches the stones they turn to gold for sunset from the King about 50 families live in the community of la verdad escuela [Music] to get from A to B the residents mainly use motorcycles or boats or they have to walk like candies and the other school children the roads are very bad it's super slippery when it rains hard we don't even go to school the distance and the path across a dangerous bridge are enough of a challenge for the children in addition to the heat and high humidity which make walking difficult just past 6:30 in the morning Kendy sets off her mother joins her on the first leg of the journey to school temperatures are already around 32 degrees Celsius but this is the least of Kenny's problems what she's thinking about now is the bridge she has to cross [Music] living just a half-hour away from her by poet the school day starts differently for Candis classmate 10 year old Juan Carlos lives on his grandparents farm [Music] I like horseback riding best but I also like to drive the cows in those ones over there I know all of them by name when I call them they come yummy your side like almost every morning one has to bring the cows in from the pasture it is not uncommon here for children to grow up with relatives Juan's mother doesn't make enough money to raise two kids so she decided to keep her younger son with her and sent one to his grandparents [Music] [Music] while Juan drives the last cows in his grandfather Jorge begins with the milking as a result of selling milk and cheese he is among the better earners in the region from his perspective the fact that his grandson has to help does have its advantages he's learning how to care for the cows for example how to give them medication and help with birthing after half an hour Kwan returns with the cows he still has one and a half hours before class starts exactly the time he needs to get to school he's usually the last to arrive [Music] sometimes would have to let the Ducks out and feed the checks that I shower and go running [Music] even if one is late and has to hurry breakfast is important the physical work makes one hungry and there's still a tough road ahead to make sure he has enough strength he eats rice eggs cheese and Nevena an oat drink Quan doesn't have to cross the rickety bridge like candy stairs but he faces his own challenges I have to go on a canoe and I can tip over very easily and then there's a spot where I'm up to my chest in the water that's why Hwan puts his school uniform in his backpack and changes into it later grandmother annamaria always finds it difficult to see her grandson off [Music] man I'm with jet these days huh I'm very sad when I see him go away askew yeah and rightly so there are many dangers lurking along the one and a half hour walk to school river currents swamps poisonous animals had the rising heat Candace and her mother yes Ealy's are only a few meters away from the bridge class starts in just an hour after strong rains they have to leave even earlier in the morning because then the road is especially slippery and muddy [Music] we see bridge is the most dangerous part of the way to school anything could happen at any time both on the way there and back it's the hardest part without the bridge it would take Candice yet another hour to get to school the children are never allowed to cross the decaying wooden construction alone if anything should happen someone else needs to be able to get help this is why the ten-year-old meets her classmates Andrea Nevaeh and needy at the bridge yes this bridge 180 meters long 4 meters high the footbridge is made of thin rotting tree trunks that are only loosely connected one false step and they're certain to fall into the smelly water the children could seriously injure themselves or even drown I'm afraid I'm going to fall down and break my foot or my hand it's always dangerous to cross the bridge saturd sleeping from the very first step the children have to keep their concentration with every day in each downpour the bridge becomes more unstable [Music] hey yes I am afraid the children might fall and if the wood breaks symbologies so he they could drown or break their legs I'm tortured with worry the whole day buddy the nearest hospital is two hours away and treatment would be expensive [Music] the children have only one thought to cross the wooden bridge safely the wooden bridge their parents built for them to shorten their way to school [Music] ken DS father Salvador helped to build the bridge like 90% of the villagers he has no permanent work he does odd jobs like working in the fields or fishing with which he earns the equivalent of just 280 euros a month two years ago it wasn't possible to move so freely the guerrilla movement FARC had the area firmly in its grip it fought against the government and its supporters the population still suffers from the consequences but is trying to get their lives back toreano helper i to really make a living I'd need at least ten fish like this that doesn't happen very often fishing alone is not enough to pay for my daughter's education it's just enough to feed us everyday so 10 to re-open alimentation Takagi although the state schools are free of charge the families still have to pay for books school uniforms and travel expenses Salvador wants his daughters to have a better life that's why he and his wife put every cent into their children and into their dreams Quan has to hurry he left the house way too late today now I have to cross the river in a canoe I'm always afraid it'll tip over the canoe is extremely wobbly one wrong move and one would be sitting in the water together with his school uniform and books [Music] kuan learned to canoe two years ago from a man working for his grandfather besides the horses the canoe is wons grandparents only means of transportation if they need a dugout canoe during the day the boy has to swim home in the afternoon with his school supplies in his backpack which is why a lot of his things have broken kuan will have to walk for half an hour as close as it is to the equator the climate is almost constant throughout the year hot and muggy due to the high humidity it often rains at night the ground becomes very soft which means one has to work that much harder now I have to put my backpack on my head sometimes the water goes all the way up to here the mud causes a lot of trouble for him Quan can't see where he's stepping in the murky water it's only 50 meters to the shore but those 50 meters are what he's most afraid of [Music] meanwhile Candace and her friends continue to confront their own fears they still have a good 70 meters ahead of them 70 meters along which anything could happen at any time friends of mine have already fallen down and hurt themselves especially in the places where there's no railing Ken Dee's heart pumps that much faster it's even more unstable here [Music] one basic rule is never step on the same trunk as someone else if a trunk breaks and one child falls in the water at least the other will be able to go for help while the children are still fighting to get over the bridge their teacher arrives at school Julie's journey with a motorcycle taxi begins Mondays at midnight over the weekend she always travels to her hometown of MIDI seven hours away about two years ago the government rebuilt the school during the week it's Uli's home [Music] it's a small chamber with no windows and no daylight but UV tries to make the best of it it's my calling to be a teacher if you don't feel called you can't deal with it there are tons of mosquitoes in my room in the beginning there was nothing I had to bring everything family in it was really hard for me there was no TV no mattress no blanket it's difficult every time two years ago you he got one of the few permanent jobs available for teachers it was a big shock when she learned where she was placed now she has made it her goal to spread knowledge in remote places like this it's a big challenge I'm afraid for my students I don't feel calm because man there's always something that could happen they could drown or hurt themselves the bridge is really difficult for the children Yuriy know has a good half an hour of worrying until the first children begin to arrive Candice and her friends will soon have made it if all goes well the closer they get to the shore the faster they go and even forget the most important rule to keep their distance from each other they can't get over the bridge fast enough [Music] ten-year-old needy has an especially difficult struggle she suffers from a fear of heights with every step the feeling of dizziness Rises forcing her to her knees [Music] the Edie's friends cannot wait for her together at one place the danger of collapse is too great after about half an hour the first ones finally make they have solid ground under their feet once again [Music] the children's exhaustion and relief is noticeable it's not just the intense concentration but also the heat and humidity that are tiring 30 minutes in the Blazing Sun over a wobbly wooden bridge it's become a part of everyday life but it is something they will never get used to I'm relieved because nothing happens and nobody got hurt class starts in just a half hour there is still a long walk ahead but the most difficult part is now behind them [Music] [Music] for one the most dangerous part is yet to come [Music] I'm afraid of the stingrays yes if they sting you you can die I have to be careful they bury themselves in the mud a stingray state can be fatal or cause serious injury but this is the only way to get to school [Music] mission accomplished without meeting a stingray without getting the backpack and school supplies wet I relieved because I had the mud in the water behind me now [Music] [Music] finally Kwan can put on his dry school uniform class starts in 20 minutes although he already knows he's going to be late again he's glad that he can go to school at all it brings him a little closer to his dream of moving to a big city [Music] [Music] candies Nevaeh Andrea and the edy have been on the road for over an hour now unlike wine at least they're not alone which makes time go by faster [Music] the temperature is already 34 degrees Celsius at a quarter to eight in the morning with humidity at 97% it's really super hot while walking we have to protect ourselves from the Sun yeah if we get too hot we're going to say and when we go home in the afternoon it's even harder even while they are walking to school they are already thinking about the way back even hotter and over the wooden bridge again if the children are lucky an adult will pick them up on a motorcycle after school but they won't know until school's out at one o'clock the last 15 minutes are the hardest the temptation to just sit in the shade is great [Music] okay let's go [Music] they know the reason they're making such a great effort to learn things that will help make their dreams of a good job come true hewan will soon arrive as well he gets up his strength for the last stretch the most difficult part is the hill we just passed and the one coming up to pass the time Kwan practices doing calculations in his head math is his favorite subject [Music] after one and a half hours Candis and her friends have finally made it just before 8 o'clock the blue roof of the school appears behind the last hill this site alone gives them a shot of energy [Music] the classmates who live a little closer are already there a total of 15 children between the ages of six and ten go to the school [Music] [Applause] [Music] education is compulsory in Colombia for nine years but only 85% of children actually go to school Quan finally arrives shortly after 8:00 even though he asked to take an arduous road he likes school for him it's a welcome change from the hard life on the farm [Music] Familia very sauce today the subject of means of communication is part of the curriculum compeers in addition to general knowledge the children are taught math in Spanish art religion and sports the school only gets textbooks through donations teacher URI buys most of the classroom materials using her meager salary of 350 euros a month [Music] [Music] the teacher faces the same challenge every day teaching six different levels from preschool to fifth grade all at the same time it's very difficult to teach like this why because I look for a topic that is good for everyone then I assign a task that everyone can do and then another one that is appropriate to the level this means the tasks have different degrees of difficulty two years ago most of the children wrote very poorly and came to school irregularly Julie is proud that that has changed her students really like to go to school now [Music] but there's still one problem the children arrive exhausted they are often tired and have trouble concentrating yeah boys but I try to teach things that are fun for the children and where they have to actively participate I know the circumstances they don't have it easy could I always tell them that the effort and learning will pay off in the future after three hours the children have a 45-minute break they can rest and get something to eat [Music] sometimes the parents bring something to their kids during the lunch break but most of them get a break box before I get here I eat breakfast my grandma always gives me something to eat because there's no cafeteria here after lunch there's still time to play something one doesn't get to do much at home here he can finally be a child [Applause] and the fun continues in gym class the kids love it they can stop thinking and just goof around [Music] [Applause] [Music] shortly before 1 o'clock the end of a lesson approaches and thus also the trip back home I'm always a little afraid of going back because it's so hot there and if you go into the water when you're that needed you get a shock and drown ken DS hopes that her father Salvador has time to pick her up with a motorcycle today it's also not particularly safe but at least it's better than the wooden bridge the teacher lets her young charges go but with mixed feelings she knows that today she has brought them one step closer to their dreams but she also knows that trials and tribulations that lie ahead [Music] Candis and her friend Andrea are lucky Salvador is already waiting he can't always pick them up it depends on whether he or his wife need the motorcycle for something else it's their only means of transport the two girls are happy when someone picks them up although the ride and the motorcycle is also not without its risks when it rains I'd rather walk when it's so wet it's easy to slip and get badly hurt yes the muddy roads are the most difficult you have to be very careful when driving here you have to make sure not to slip in the mud lock wire also a lot of Buffalo here that destroy the ground I mean it's also very difficult for the kids and you really have to watch out [Music] in the morning it is often too wet and muddy to drive the children safely by the afternoon the Sun has dried the ground at least a little bit [Music] although the people here are very good drivers there are accidents every day on the bad roads they slide fall and can seriously hurt themselves [Music] the good thing is that it only takes 30 minutes to get back by motorbike [Music] kuan has just completed a quarter of the way the midday heat is getting to him 38 degrees Celsius no wind and the water supply is limited only the trees provide a bit of shade Kwan's grandparents are waiting for him and get worried if he comes home today but they also know he takes a break on the way home and therefore takes a little longer [Music] I'm here for the keep I like the crime a tree it's nice and shady here and cooler especially in the afternoon when the Sun is even hotter after school yeah I take a break here sometimes I use evenings as a sunblock to give me a little shade [Music] after the short break Quang goes step by step toward the section of the route he is most afraid of [Music] it's almost 2:00 in the afternoon the tenure road has been on his feet for nine hours and now he has to go back through the water with those dangerous creatures [Music] but there's one thing on his way home he is looking forward to his favorite place on the river while one still has an hour's walk ahead of him the others approach their destination after a half-hour ride [Applause] [Applause] mother yeah series is relieved to have her youngest back again and all in one piece I'm glad to be home and it's now relax and then do my homework she enjoys watching TV after school with her 11 year old sister Kathleen after that homework cause mother you see Liz helps her daughters she recently returned to school and graduated herself she has no vocational training for that she would have to move to another city and leave her family but she doesn't want that so it's all the more important to her that her two girls are able to make their dreams come true meanwhile Quan has arrived at the river he still has to cross it but then he is home although he's late there's one thing he's not going to miss today [Music] kuan loves to swim in a river without dangerous animals okay the water is so nice and cool and I can relax a little bit I can swim fast without me [Music] one canoe trip later and he is finally at home exhausted after a very long day his grandparents and his work are already waiting for him yeah I feel very relieved when he comes home and nothing has happened I'm also proud of him when he brings home good marks levy I'm glad to be here and not have to go through the mud and the water anymore I'm really relieved in the late afternoon Candy's gets together again with her friends before they go to bed the family spend some time together I'm very happy when they get home because every trip to school and back is dangerous easy even though Candice is afraid of going to school every day she knows it's the only chance she has to achieve her career aspirations [Music] I want to be a great artist I love to paint they say hey I love painting landscapes for this she goes up against the shaky rotting wooden bridge every day she's sure that this is how her dreams will become reality at seven o'clock in the evening Quan is finished with all his tasks even though his grandparents are very strict they do give him support I hope that one will become an engineer over like my sons Becca he shouldn't end up as a field worker or a fisherman I always tell him he has to study I want to go to med Ian and study there I want to be an engineer [Music] in order to get closer to their wishes and dreams hewan and the other children from the village la verdad la escuela have to go to school for the next few years on one of the world's most dangerous ways to school [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Free Documentary

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Rating: 4.8797145 out of 5

Keywords: most dangerous ways to school, most dangerous ways to school colombia, most dangerous ways to school documentary, the most dangerous ways to school, the most dangerous ways to school documentary, school colombia, school way colombia, colombia, documentaries, documentary, free documentaries, free documentary, full documentaries, full documentary

Id: VaDytO4-HEk

Length: 48min 18sec (2898 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 16 2019