Join Mennonite Central Committee Colombia on a 10-day learning tour to discover the peace and development work in Bogota and the countryside.
On the tour you will:
- Visit a Colombian Anabaptist peace organization and an education program in a low-income neighbourhood in Bogotá
- Enjoy the view of Bogotá from the top of Mount Monserrate
- Fly to Cali to tour a food security program and meet with Mennonite Brethern churches working with Venezuelan migrants
- Learn about Edupaz and their peacebuilding and sexual abuse prevention programs
Tour fare:
- CAD $2000/participant. (This includes all in-country meals, lodging and transportation).
- Note: Round trip airfare to Bogota, Colombia is NOT included in this price.
For more information, please contact Rosie Steinmann at rosiesteinmann@mcccanada.ca, or fill out the form.
Projects you will visit:
The Childhood Training Center (CCN) is a social initiative of MCC’s partner, El Progreso Mennonite Brethren Church. CCN is located on the outskirts of the capital Bogotá where residents do not receive all public services from the government. As part of a church-based preschool program CCN supports the development of preschoolers, teaching them values and offering academic instruction and healthy meals.
Edupaz is a ministry of the Mennonite Brethren church, and its name combines the Spanish words for education and peace. Their programs focus on peacebuilding and prevention of sexual abuse with schools and churches. They train students, teachers and parents on peace and conflict resolution, then observe how schools are implementing the program themselves. Martha Ines Cortes Biojó, director of Edupaz, says “When you educate for peace, you can educate people to think in a different way, to think more about humanity, society and a better world.”
Venezuelan migrant support: In the Valle del Cauca region of Colombia, local Mennonite Brethren congregations are providing food and livelihood assistance to Venezuelan migrants and displaced Colombians. The Mennonite Brethren churches support families in groups of 25 for six months, providing monthly food baskets; needed household supplies; orientation to legal, health and other services; and psycho-emotional support.
Justapaz: This partner supports Christian churches affected by the armed conflict. They share legal, psychological, and pastoral strategies to access justice through documentation, verification, monitoring of cases of human rights violations, and psychosocial support for victims. In addition, they advocate to strengthen the network of Christian churches working for peace and human rights. They work in rural and urban communities located in areas of armed conflict through partnerships with church social justice networks, human rights and peace networks.
Local initiatives: On the tour, we will visit one of the twenty-five local Anabaptist church projects. These initiatives are located in contexts that are highly vulnerable to systematic violence. These projects serve an average of 1,800 children and young people. Meeting once a week, the churches work with minors in conflict resolution, peace building, recognition of rights, and self-esteem; they work for the prevention of violence, sexual abuse and forced recruitment in their contexts; and provide a safe and trustworthy place for minors. MCC supports the coordinators in their training and leadership, to deepen their capacity, access and self-sustainability at the local, regional and national level.