Invisible Refugees: Colombia

"Internally displaced people in Colombia are subjects of one of, if not the worst humanitarian crisis in the western hemisphere,” and yet they remain “invisible, not only internationally, but even in Bogotá.”
- Kamel Morjane, Assistant United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 2004

I just learned this past weekend about an amazing organization in Colombia that is working to empower the country's internally displaced people. Fusion Colombia, founded in 2004 by Matthew Alexander, works to alleviate poverty, protect human rights, and promote self-sufficiency among internal refugee communities. Fusion's projects center around education and outreach, job training, and small business development programs.

In the past year, Fusion Colombia reports that it "has implemented projects with partners such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Tejaditos Foundation, and SENA (the Colombian government’s job-training agency). Fusion Colombia currently sits on the United Nations’ Humanitarian Committee of Southern Bogotá and Soacha, where it coordinates humanitarian and development activities with other organizations, local governmental agencies and the United Nations."

As noted by Kamel Morjane, Assistant UNHCR in 2004, Colombia's humanitarian crisis has gone largely unnoticed on the world's stage. As a result of the country's on-going 40 year civil war, there are now more than three million internally displaced people. Even in the capital city of Bogota, these refugee communities "remain [largely] invisible". Fusion strives to bring attention to the plight of these people and their communities.

According to Fusion, the majority of Colombia’s internally displaced persons are poor farmers who have been forced from their homes by right wing paramilitaries or leftist guerrilla groups that battle over Colombia’s resource-rich land. Displaced Colombians typically seek refuge from armed actors in the slums of urban centers, Bogotá being the most popular.

Tragically, most displaced persons living in the cities of Colombia face dire socioeconomic conditions and discrimination in employment, housing, and social services. Although 80% of displaced persons are from rural areas, once they arrive in Bogotá they intend to reside there on a permanent basis. The majority of these displaced people arrive with generally non-transferable job skills, so there is an overwhelming need for the integration services that Fusion provides.

Some alarming statistics in Colombia include:

• 92 percent of internally displaced persons in Colombia do not make enough money to meet their basic needs and 80 percent live in situations of extreme poverty. (World Food Program, 2003)
• For the last six years, internal displacement in Colombia has been voted one of the top ten most underreported humanitarian crises in the world by medical relief organization, Doctors without Borders.
• In the first eight months of 2005, more than 143 youth under the age of twenty were killed by guerrillas or paramilitaries in Ciudad Bolivar, a neighborhood in Bogotá where many internally displaced persons reside.

Colombia is a beautiful, diverse country. It's tragic that there is so little media attention given to the plight of its internal refugees. I hope that soon this trend will change, and dream of the day when each of these refugees will be able to take a more active part on their own to generate awareness about their situation. Maybe through videoblogs, community portals, or their own media stations? With today's new web technologies, these are no longer such outlandish thoughts. And one day, I am certain they will have access to these tools, thereby making these dreams possible.

The good news is that organizations like Fusion Colombia exist now to serve these refugee communities and to bring more awareness about their plight. The educational and training support that Fusion provides to internally displaced communities is critical to the community's ability to help themselves out of poverty and to rebuild their lives.

To learn more about how to help Colombia's internally displaced refugees, please visit Fusion.