Healing for Sexual Violence Survivors in Colombia

In Colombia, with your support, MADRE and Taller de Vida (TdV) promote peace and healing among Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities impacted by conflict. TdV works to prevent armed recruitment of youth through their ‘Promoting Healing and Transitional Justice for Women and Girls in Colombia’ project. 

This effort has supported 1,600 Afro-descendant and Indigenous youth in different communities across Colombia to submit “Quarantine Stories” about their personal experiences during the pandemic, facilitate dialogue, and implement new ways of interaction that help young people and their families develop joint actions through virtual communication. An additional 430 young people shared their “Quarantine Stories” on social media platforms to inspire other youth to create narratives highlighting their resilience to confront pandemic-related stress and trauma they have faced among communities affected by the ongoing conflict. 

Daisy, a young Afro-Colombian activist, credits her participation in TdV’s programming for helping her gain confidence and access opportunities to heal. She says, “TdV’s projects have a very valuable impact on the community. Girls, like myself, who have been historically denied opportunities and lacked the space and resourcing to express themselves and help them to get out of difficult situations are able to count on receiving all of this support and more when they join TdV."

Stories like Daisy’s continue to be an invaluable resource in proving how successful TdV’s methodology is in providing Indigenous and Afro-descendant women and girls with the resources they need to facilitate their healing and advocate for inclusive peace, justice, and accountability in their communities and for themselves, as they build their lives anew. 

Thanks to your generous support, TdV has continued to adapt and replicate this methodology and share their learnings with other organizations. Notably, they have garnered national and international recognition for their expertise and meaningful engagement in transitional justice and advocacy for peace in Colombia's most conflict-affected communities.