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There are more than three million displaced people in Colombia, roughly equivalent to the population of Wales. Aid agency CAFOD has been working with the survivors of the conflict for many years and is supporting the Colombian Catholic Church's campaign for peace.
CARITAS Colombia/CAFOD
More than three million people in
Colombia have been forced to flee their
homes during decades of fighting between
guerrilla groups, paramilitaries and the
army - the highest number of displaced
people in the world after Sudan.
REF:
CARITAS Colombia/CAFOD
Armed groups use threats or violence to
drive people from their land so they can
use it for drug trafficking or sell it
for mining or biofuel production. Women,
children and indigenous and Afro-
Colombian communities are the worse
affected.
REF:
CARITAS Colombia/CAFOD
Most displaced people seek shelter in
Colombia's large cities and end up in
slums, living in cramped conditions with
little or no access to running water,
healthcare, education or means of making
a living.
REF:
Paul Smith/CAFOD
Catholic aid agency CAFOD and the EU are
helping more than 500 displaced and
vulnerable families in the south east of
Colombia rebuild their lives by setting
up small community business from
launderettes to coffee growing.
REF:
Paul Smith/CAFOD
Antonio and his family have fled their
homes twice because of the violence. "
They were threatening us, we couldn't
sleep. We had to run for it with just a
bag of clothes," he said. Antonio is now
vice president of one of the CAFOD
businesses - a shoe-making co-operative.
REF:
Paul Smith/CAFOD
The project also helps displaced people
integrate into the communities where
they settle and overcome stigma and
discrimination. Maria said:
"The future won't get better unless we
work together. We have learnt that we
need to share what little we have with
those who have fled their homes".
REF:
Annie Bungeroth/CAFOD
Through its "Peace is Possible" campaign,
the Colombian Catholic Church is urging
its government to provide displaced
people with the support they need and
bring about a peaceful solution to this
forgotten crisis.
REF:
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
