Emergency Aid Worldwide

by Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V.
Emergency Aid Worldwide
Emergency Aid Worldwide
Emergency Aid Worldwide
Emergency Aid Worldwide

Project Report | Aug 23, 2024
Colombia: The Seeds of Peace

By Christoph Lubczyk | Project Leader

Decades of violence have left their mark in Colombia.
The ongoing armed conflict is leading to internal
displacement. In addition, many Venezuelan refugees
come to Colombia. Together with the local partner
organizations CDP and Taller Abierto, our partner
organization, action medeor helps to create the
foundations for lasting peace.
Initiative strengthens own agriculture in Colombia When José saw the first markets in Colombia after
fleeing Venezuela, he was amazed. The vegetables
were spoiled. But people ate it. “Why don’t they
grow their own vegetables?” he asked himself. The trained agricultural technician began growing
coriander and chili. In 2023, he founded the
association ASOPROCAMSUR together with other farmers
to strengthen agriculture. The association is supported by our partner organization,
action medeor and the local partner organization CDP,
which supports displaced people, returnees and vulnerable
population groups in the Colombian Caribbean region.
More yields through sustainable irrigation Together they built an irrigation system that directs
water over 300 meters from a neighboring river to the
fields. When the head of the Colombia project at action
medeor, met José in the spring, she was impressed
by how much had changed since her last visit.
José had laid hoses on the neighbors' properties. Thanks
to the irrigation, the plants grew so well that the farmers
were even able to pass on seeds and cuttings to others.
Secure income strengthens peace in Colombia The people of the Valle del Cauca and Cauca departments
need support like this to strengthen nutrition and their
economic self-sufficiency. Both are prerequisites for lasting
peace. The more than 50-year conflict between the FARC guerrillas
and the Colombian state was ended with a peace agreement in
2016, but a power vacuum emerged with many armed conflicts,
violence and displacement. The project region located in the north of Colombia on the
Caribbean side was also affected. Nevertheless, many Colombians
fled from other regions of the country to the north. In
addition, the supply crisis that began in Venezuela in 2014
and the political power struggle led to many people fleeing
there to the north of Colombia.
Parter organization action medeor expands health care Supporting healthcare is also part of the project supported
by action medeor, which runs until the end of 2027. The head of the
Colombia project at action medeor still remembers the condition
of the health post in Evitar, a district of the city of Mahates,
which has a population of over 26,000: "The roof was partially
collapsed, there was no running water or electricity, the walls
were moldy." If at all, a doctor visited the town's more than
2,000 people once a month. action medeor and CDP have renovated
the health post and are supporting it financially: the doctor
now comes once a week, and a nurse and a dentist also come every
week. Evitar is one of five locations chosen in the northern and
southern project regions of Montes de Maria because health care was
particularly poor there.

Promoters for Peace

Another focus of the project is women, who particularly suffer from
pervasive violence. Like Omerly.
At 17 she was already the mother of two children. In 1993 she was
displaced as part of the conflict with the FARC. She was only able to
escape with her children and her mother. The emotional wounds ran deep.
She was able to process her traumas through psychological help. Today
she organizes discussion groups for other victims of violence.
She is supported by CDP and our partner organization, action medeor. 
Among other things, group therapy sessions help to transform
psychological conflicts by promoting processes of reconciliation
and strengthening self-efficacy. Works of art by women who have
processed their suffering artistically during therapy can now be seen
in the “mobile museum for symbolic memories”.
Colombia: Breaking the spiral of violence Offers like this are important so that people can leave suffering
behind and think like Omerly. She says: "Today I am proud that
I am a courageous woman and to see my life and my family realized." Like Omerly, at least 4,000 women and young people are being trained
to become promoters of social change in order to strengthen peaceful
coexistence. A further 2,500 young people acquire important skills for
conflict and violence prevention at annual youth festivals in order to
create the basis for democratic coexistence - so that the spiral of
violence comes to an end.

Thanks for donating and helping realize these and other projects
all over the world!
 

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Organization Information

Aktion Deutschland Hilft e.V.

Location: Bonn - Germany
Website:
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Project Leader:
first1283442 last1283442
United States

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