Women Work Together in Colombia
Some 248 poor rural families-more than half of them headed by women-are improving their basic survival conditions by working together.
They are among the many families in parts of southwest Colombia who live in extreme poverty despite their region's resources. Historically, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities have been exposed to extreme poverty and conditions of marginality-both expressions of structural racism.
Problem: Conflicts Over Resources
Armed factions and investors covet the region because of its natural resources and its access to the Pacific Ocean and principal highways. Civilians are often subjected to violence and repression, and many have fled their homes and ancestral lands for other areas. Youth, besides being the targets of violence, are often coerced to join the armed conflict by insurgent and paramilitary groups or by the army and the police.
Solution: Keeping Families Intact Through Cooperation
To keep their families intact, women are working together to improve their living conditions. UMCOR and Church World Service are partnering to support three groups in implementing a three-year Food Production and Income Generation Project for Poor Rural Families. The United Methodist portion of the funding comes from UMCOR Advance #982920, Global Hunger and Poverty.
Participating families have increased their food production, and have created and maintain four plots to grow medicinal plants. Forty-six families (236 people) have seen improvements to their income, and 100 children, ages 6 to 12, who had worked in local mines have returned to school.
Adapted from an article by Church World Service, April 25, 2006. Used by permission.
