By Emily Schmitz Weaving a concrete thread through red dust and boiling sun, a winding two-lane highway curves through the northern department of Cesar, Colombia, carving out a familiar route. Passing between housing settlements of mud and brick stained the color of...
News
Army’s Round-ups of Youth Continue
By Liza Smith On October 26, two young men from the small town of San Francisco, Antioquia were in Bogota and fell victim to an illegal street round-up. FOR has brought many delegations to this town, where the Antioquia Peasant Association (ACA), an...
Paramilitary Pressure in La Esperanza
By FOR Colombia Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 12:32pm By Emily Schmitz, Charlotte Melly, Elisabeth Rohrmoser and Gina Spigarelli The rural farming community of La Esperanza, remotely scattered through dense jungle, lies three hours walking from the nearest town in one...
Peace in Colombia: Between Expectations and Uncertainties
By FOR Colombia Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 8:19pm By Alejo Vargas Velásquez, Professor, National University From Caja de Herramientas Virtuales The goal of a negotiated solution to Colombia’s long-running war has always been key. In recent weeks it has become more...
How we say thanks: Organic, fair trade Colombian chocolate!
By FOR Last month, we shared a video and update with you about our work here in Colombia. Thank you so much to those who have already generously donated. Because many of us get overwhelmed by emails and some important messages get lost in the stack, we wanted to send...
Ten victories to celebrate on Human Rights Day
By Rene Wadlow Monday, December 10, 2012, 10:35am Our age which has often been so cruel, can now pride itself on having witnessed the birth of a universal human rights movement. In all walks of life brave individuals are standing up for their brothers who have been...
Opening Paths Toward Peace
By Maureen Maya, Journalist and Social Researcher Published in Semanario Virtual #330, November 23-29, 2012 On Monday, November 19, as delegates of the Colombian government and FARC guerrillas were getting ready to begin negotiations in the Conventions Palace in...
Even Those Who Chose Peace Suffer in this War Zone
Letter from Colombian Peace Community By Gina Spigarelli On some days in La Unión, the war is a faint pulse in the background — a far-off helicopter heard but not seen, or a military troop walking by on their way to a distant destination. On those days, to an...