Read more about Jenifer Colpas and her work She decided to change her career path and return home, where she co-founded Tierra Grata, which means “gratitude to the earth” in Spanish. “Something inside me (was) saying, ‘You need to do something about it,'” Colpas said. There, she became aware of vast social inequalities. After college, she moved to India for a job in information technology. What inspired her: Growing up in Barranquilla, Colombia, Colpas was mostly shielded from the poverty outside her door. Colpas and her team currently serve 35 communities and their services have helped improve the quality of life for more than 10,000 people. Her cause: Jenifer Colpas co-founded Tierra Grata in 2015, a non-profit that provides access to clean water, solar-powered lights and electricity along with eco-toilets and showers for remote rural communities throughout Colombia. Jenifer Colpas: Bringing clean water and power to rural villages in her country Here’s a look at this year’s Top 10 CNN Heroes: ET.ĬNN Heroes has been spotlighting the impactful work of people across the world since 2007. To find out who is named Hero of the Year, you’ll have to watch “The 15th Annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute,” hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kelly Ripa on Sunday, December 12, starting at 8 p.m.
