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Colombia

Women, children and youth have disproportionately suffered barriers to their full participation in community life and decision-making. Our work in Colombia focuses on promoting inclusion and non-discrimination of marginalized groups, gender equality and greater citizen participation and engagement in actions for social change.

The peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC in November 2016 presents an opportunity to advance human rights and democratic practices in Colombia.

Equitas is convinced that human rights and citizenship education programs can contribute to the sustainable transformation of Colombian communities into more peaceful and inclusive ones by promoting and forging attitudes, behaviours and ways of thinking based on the principles and values ​​of equality, inclusion, non-discrimination, fairness, cooperation and respect for diversity.

What we do

Currently, the project is active in the communities of Usme and Ciudad Bolivar in Bogota and Soacha in Cundinamarca. Through human rights education, we:

  • equip civil society organizations (CSOs) and community leaders with human rights knowledge, skills and tools to address barriers to the participation of youth, women and children in decision-making processes that concern them;
  • strengthen and provide inclusive spaces for civil society, community leaders and government authorities to work collaboratively and promote the participation and inclusion of youth, women and children in their communities;
  • enhance the capacity of youth, women and children to engage with decision-makers to better access the services and support systems provided by community and government institutions.     

Our impact

2,000 community members have benefited from 10 Community Action Projects to promote greater participation, inclusion and non-discrimination of women, children and youth.

“Equitas methodologies enable the creation of participation spaces that are positive. In my community, there is a lot of resentment and we need tools for people to express their feelings (…) in a non-confrontational way.”

“The first step is for communities to realize that they can take action to change things. Once these actions have started, then it is important to involve local government authorities and explore ways of collaboration and support.”

Partners in Colombia celebrate the human rights education projects
Human rights education projects in Colombia

25 community leaders and representatives of civil society organizations have been trained in human rights education in the communities of Usme, Ciudad Bolivar and Soacha.

They have:

  • acquired knowledge, skills and tools to design, deliver and evaluate human rights education activities using gender and human rights based approaches.
  • gained confidence in their capacity to lead actions that engage community members in collaborative actions for positive social change (peaceful conflict resolution, opening spaces for dialogue, inclusion and non-discrimination).

Program Brochure

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Our partners

Equitas works in Colombia with the NGO TECHO Colombia.

 

Our current project is undertaken as part of Strengthening Human Rights Education Globally, with the support from the Government of Canada through Global Affairs Canada (GAC).

 

LATEST NEWS

Keep updated on the latest news on our work in Colombia.

OUR STORIES

Read our stories – such as the story of Adriana Correa – which demonstrate how Equitas helps prevent conflict and promote peace, inclusive development and the participation of women, children and youth in making their communities safer and more equitable.

TOOLS FOR EDUCATION, TOOLS FOR ACTION

Discover tools, tips and resources to take action.

DONATE. Support our efforts in Colombia.

Human rights education ignites community solutions that lead to change.
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