Working together to respond to crisis and build resilience

Colombia | 2024 | CERF

Colombia, Nariño. The people of Sanquianga are severely affected by conflict. Families have to flee their homes because of violent clashes, or find it difficult to access health care, or maintain a reliable means of supporting themselves.

And it takes over a day, travelling by river from the town of Tumaco, to reach the remote area, which encompasses several settlements.

OCHA’s Flagship Initiative aims to pilot innovative solutions and new ways of collaborating with communities like these, and among United Nations entities, to better serve people in times of crisis and to build resilience for the future.

In 2023, the Central Emergency Response Fund allocated USD 5 million to Colombia through its Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) window.

Working with the people of Sanquianga, the money enabled UN agencies and their partners to provide a package of help to meet their immediate needs, as well as support them in developing deeper resilience to cope with living in an uncertain, conflict-affected environment.

Safe spaces for learning

School refurbishment – implemented through UNICEF, UNFPA, and WFP projects – equipped the region’s schools with better sanitation, and brought parents and students together for workshops on protecting women and children, including mine-risk education. Both are major risks faced by the community.

Women could also join a newly refurbished safe space, where they spoke freely about challenges that affect them and learn from each other about possible solutions.

“We learned about our rights,” said one woman. “We want to actively lead efforts for the well-being of our children, families and communities. This helps us know how to do it.”

Farming for the future

At the same time, FAO supported community-led initiatives for sustainable farming. Many families and communities rely on coca farming for income. Replacing coca with food production helps them build longer-term food security. Food and cash transfers from WFP helped people with their immediate, emergency needs; while for mothers working the land, the project also provided a childcare center.

Next on the agenda, the project will establish ‘medicine farms’, with the support of FAO and WHO, where people can cultivate medicinal herbs, building on their traditional knowledge. In hard-to-reach areas like this, far from health care, traditional medicine can be a first line of defense.

Emergency context

Clashes between armed groups meant that some of the people taking part in the project had to flee their homes for safety.

CERF and partners provided them with emergency assistance, including food, cash, and emergency education.

“It could very well be that we are forced to move again because of the conflict. But the knowledge and skills we have gained are ours to keep; no one can take that away from us,” said one woman.

Names have been excluded for protection reasons.

Based on an original story by OCHA: https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/power-working-together-lessons-cerf-implementation-sanquianga-narino

For more information on the CERF allocation,  and allocation data on the CERF Data Hub.

Published October 2024