Letters in the Times of Coronavirus

Libraries in Medellín, Colombia have teamed up to initiate a project that's helping the community cope with the emotional effects of the pandemic. The initiative has people exchanging anonymous letters written to console and emotionally-support strangers as though they were loved ones through the trying times of today.

"Keep going, when this is all over, you will walk out of the house with your head held high and your heart willing to give the best of you," one letter reads. It was signed as "Niña Peregrina" (Spanish for "Wandering Girl").

Understandably, people are not only fearing for their health but are witnessing the rise in cases and in deaths, meanwhile dealing with the discomforts of total lockdown.

This initiative called "Love In the Time of Coronavirus" serves as a reminder that we are all in this together, that there is hope and love all around. It is inspired by the book, Love in the Time of Cholera, by Gabriel García Márquez that tells the story of a couple who fall in love in their youth but are forced to stop courting when the girl's father finds out about their secret relationship. For the next five decades they exchange love letters using pseudonyms.

The libraries put out a call for residents to send in anonymous letters of friendship, love or support. Whenever the team receives a letter, they decorate it and then send it on to someone who has also sent in a missive. The recipient is chosen at random and neither recipient nor writer are told each other's identity.