The Builder

At 78, Eladia Mejia is no little old lady in a rocking chair. She is stout, straight-backed, witty and indomitable, and her passion is teaching mestizo peasant children in the bandit-infested mountains of western Colombia. Since this requires schools, she builds them--partly with her own hands. Her record: 129 schools, plus four hospitals and a half-completed orphanage that will cover four city blocks when it is finished. "I am no architect," says she. "But I have the lines of four walls in my head, and with that I do a devil of a lot."

Despair. Last week, on the first vacation of her life. Teacher Mejia was visiting her country's capital, Bogota, for the first time. Officials had called her for the compelling reason that Colombia is 43% illiterate and sadly in need of more schools, as well as of citizens who care. Would Dona Eladia tell the people how she does it? "To talk about oneself is naughty as well as unpedagogical," said she. Then she went on TV, and in a 15-minute interview with Colombia's school-building boss, did more for the cause than a dozen government proclamations.

Born on a remote farm, merry-eyed Teacher Mejia was 13 when she took over a rural classroom at a $3-a-month salary. At 16 she became a Roman Catholic nun, later went to Mexico for five years to help rebuild revolution-ruined villages. Then her father killed a man in self-defense, and she left her order. In despair, she found a new cause: devoting her life, energy and knowledge to teaching and off-hours building in Colombia's wild Caldas department.

Action. Every Saturday since, she has slogged into villages without schools, called the people together on a cow's horn, exhorted them to help her build a 100-student school so their children will be "good for something." Then, in wide-brimmed white hat and apron, outworking her helpers, she hacks out a foundation, cuts timber, makes cement blocks, installs plumbing. In between, she keeps the children busy planting gardens, teaches adults how to read, write, cook and stay healthy, and every so often breaks out her guitar for singing and dancing. "I open their eyes," says she. "Then if they won't follow my advice, it's their fault if their children grow up to be bandits."

Bandits have burned five of her schools, and in 1947 her sister's whole family was killed when civil war broke out in the region. To help prevent such violence is Teacher Mejia's main mission; she spends her entire $55.50 monthly salary for building materials. For 41 years she has gone on this way, but help is due. Soon to be launched: a new government school-building campaign patterned after hers, to provide a primary-school education for all Colombian children by 1970. Builder Mejia will not lay down her tools; she has plans for 16 more schools, and aims to go on living as one Bogota nun last week admiringly described her--"a true religious."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.