CPTnet
4 April 2011
COLOMBIA: Christian Peacemaker Teams urgently seeking
participants for delegations to Colombia, 19 May- 2 June and 14-27 July 2011. Apply IMMEDIATELY to join May group.
The delegation scheduled for 19 May-2 June will focus on the
communities of Garzal and Nueva Esparanza. For decades, farmers have cultivated lands in these
communities in southern Bolívar province. According to Colombian law, they have a right to the land
after ten years. Instead, Colombian
authorities granted title for these lands to a drug lord, now deceased, who
operated a cocaine-processing laboratory until his operation was closed down in
the 1980s. Now his heirs are
trying to sell the property to agro-businesses that want the land to mono-crop
palm oil. Despite death threats,
the community is remaining on the land.
Currently embroiled in a legal process to have their right of possession
recognized and titles granted to community members, they have asked Christian
Peacemaker Teams to accompany them in this struggle.
CPT’s delegation to Colombia will also meet with church,
human rights, and social justice organizers in Bogotá and Barrancabermeja, the
industrial city in the Magdalena Medio region where CPT’s full-time team has
been based since 2001. In
Colombia, an insurgency-counterinsurgency war has left over 200,000 people dead
since 1964 and displaced over four million others from their homes. Now, large corporate agro-business
concerns are playing an increasing and sometimes violent role in the
displacement of Colombian villagers.
The focus of the July delegation will be announced later.
CPT is a faith-based group that seeks participants who are
interested in human rights work, committed to nonviolence and to undoing
racism, and willing to participate in team worship and reflection. Delegates should have plans to share
about the trip upon return to their home communities and congregations.
FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $2100 US/ $2400 Cdn. Round-trip airfare from a designated
U.S. or Canadian city, all on-ground travel, two to three meals a day, simple
accommodations, and all honorariums and delegation fees are covered. Those planning to join the delegation from countries other
than the U.S. or Canada, contact the Delegation Coordinator (contact details
below) for more information on travel and fundraising expectations.
Most CPT delegations involve some physical rigors. English language fluency is required for
full participation.Funding support: CPT has limited funds available to assist
applicants who otherwise could not participate. CPT is committed to undoing racism and will give preference
for funding support to applicants from communities that have been disadvantaged
by racism. Contact Delegation
Coordinator to apply.
For more information or to apply, contact Claire Evans,
Delegation Coordinator; phone 773-376-0550; fax 773-376-0549; e-mail delegations@cpt.org,
or see CPT’s website at: https://cpt.org/participate/delegation.
For more background on Garzal and other communities CPT
accompanies, see https://www.cpt.org/content/communities-we-accompany.
