It began with a grandfather and a cup of coffee.
His grandfather Josefito needed help bathing, getting dressed, and eating. He cared for him every day for a year and a half, until his grandfather passed away. He was just a child.
By the age of seven, he was already responsible for 20 older adults. He visited them every day at 5:00 in the morning. He brought them coffee that his mother prepared. He talked with them, made them laugh, and with every visit, his desire to do something better for each of them grew.
Everyone knew the boy who got up early. Few imagined that something much bigger was beginning.
He began knocking on doors and touching hearts. With a group of friends, he formed a team they called Los Ángeles Custodios. And generous hands began to multiply.
The city gradually came to know him. Journalist Euclides Ardila, from Vanguardia Liberal, interviewed him and gave his column a title that stuck with him: “The Angel of the North”. More interviews followed. Even a French journalist, Tony Comití, wanted to see with his own eyes whether what had been published was true.
Today, 41 years later, he sees his work become reality. He says it is a dream he enjoys and a task that is not yet finished. His foundation, named after him, continues the work he has built over time, and he hopes it will never end.
“He who does not live to serve is not fit to live”.
