The Awá people: Living in fear

Dressed in two-tone uniforms, smiling schoolchildren of all ages spill out of their classrooms, happy for recess time, some to play soccer, others simply to chat with friends. But for the vehicles from the World Food Programme (WFP), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UNICEF, Save the Children Canada, and the Norwegian Refugee Council parked near the school, this would be a typical scene.

These children are Awás, an indigenous people threatened by armed conflict in Colombia. Their families benefit from a series of programs put in place by Canada and international organizations to counter illiteracy, chronic undernourishment, poor hygiene and sanitation, underemployment, attacks on the rights of vulnerable people, and forced recruitment of minors by illegal armed groups very active in that country.

And this is El Diviso, an Andean foothill village in Nariño Department, in southwest Colombia. The village lies in the heart of the Awá people's ancestral territory. About 1,500 people live in El Diviso, in wooden shacks whose colours have faded. There are a few new infrastructures built out of brick: the school, the health centre, and community services.

Gabriel Bisbicus, president of Unidad Indígena del Pueblo Awá and village chief, explains: "Since time immemorial, my people have occupied an extensive territory that covers part of northern Ecuador and southern Colombia. Until 2007, we lived peacefully on our lands, largely isolated from the rest of the world. That was before our people were massacred by armed groups that have recently been roaming the backcountry, taking our lands away by force to cultivate coca, used to produce cocaine, or poppies, from which heroin is produced."

"In addition to that," he continues, "are government armed forces seeking to flush out illegal armed groups and drug traffickers. The herbicides the government is using to wipe out coca and poppy harvests are destroying our fruit and vegetable crops. Antipersonnel mines are now scattered throughout our lands, endangering not only our people but also our way of life as hunters and gatherers."

In 2009, a series of massacres on Awá territory killed more than thirty individuals. These attacks forced many native people to retreat to villages- El Diviso for one-creating added pressure for more services. It is estimated that 93 percent of these people cannot meet their basic needs (safe drinking water, clothing, housing, sufficient quantities of healthy food, and so on).

The international community, including Canada, has responded quickly to this situation and now provides a range of services in cooperation with the Colombian government. Various international organizations and CIDA-funded non-governmental organizations are actively working in El Diviso to support the local population, who lives in fear and difficult conditions.

Thus, the WFP dispenses rations to villagers and displaced persons, who are suffer from chronic malnutrition-the case for a notable 41 percent of the children. The community also faces several health problems, which rank as follows by order of prevalence: intestinal parasites, pulmonary infections, chronic gastritis, and diarrheal diseases. In cooperation with the WFP, PAHO targets cases of malnutrition at the village health clinic, offers health care, and encourages mothers to breastfeed. In 2009, PAHO successfully treated 1,500 children in the region.

UNHCR carries out a full program of protection and assistance for Awá refugees in the region. UNHCR also closely monitors, systematically reports, and seeks to counter human rights violations. Active in Colombia since 1997, UNHCR coordinates the efforts of United Nations agencies to assist displaced persons in Colombia.

UNICEF supports the village's various school programs, in a multicultural environment where young people learn Spanish as well as their native language, Awá Pit. UNICEF also supports specific projects, such as the program for young peacebuilders, which aims to train more than 200 youths in resolving conflicts through dialogue and openness to others. Says 18-year-old Elvia Bisbicus: "Thanks to these programs, we can pursue our education in our native language while learning other languages and, consequently, communicate with the rest of the world. We also learn to play golombiao, a highly participatory variation of soccer, where girls and boys must work as a team to win."

Save the Children Canada and the Norwegian Refugee Council, with support from CIDA, have implemented an educational program that reinforces and complements the UNICEF program. The Right to Education and Participation of Children and Youth in Nariño project is designed mainly for children and youth affected by armed conflict on Awá territory and elsewhere. The project's theme is "By learning, we grow."

This project has received $10 million in funding over four years. It aims to build the abilities of young people throughout the department by enabling them to understand their reality and redefine their personal goals, to communicate effectively and deal with conflicts in a civil manner, and to take part in public affairs and contribute to strengthening democracy and peace.

The project uses both formal and informal education to reach young people at whatever level of schooling they may have achieved. The results are conclusive. In September 2009, 2,492 children, youth, and adults in Nariño Department were enrolled in alternative school programs to finish their training or to reintegrate the formal education system.

This project, as well as other projects targeting the indigenous population, is part of CIDA's overall strategy in Colombia, which aims to promote respect for human rights and reduce poverty and inequality among the most vulnerable, particularly children and youth. By focusing specifically on these two groups, CIDA is helping to break the cycles of violence that plague Colombia and is preparing future generations to engage into licit economic activities.

Gabriel Bisbicus is grateful to Canada and to international organizations for their presence in his community and adds: "We live in constant fear, but our situation has greatly improved since the massacres last year. By lending their support, Canada and other such countries enable us to develop, to preserve our culture, to affirm our existence, and to believe in a brighter future."