Assisting the Internally Displaced and Fostering Harmony in Colombia

Political violence has deeply affected Colombia for over 40 years, displacing approximately three million people over the past 20 years. With a staggering 23 million Colombians (55 percent of the population) already living below the poverty line, the last 15 years have seen an escalation of violence that has increased the need for both short-term and longer-term humanitarian and development programs for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

Our wide range of IDP programs have assisted over 35,000 families. CHF International began working in Colombia in 2001 to address the immediate needs of displaced families, and our programs quickly expanded to create long-term economic opportunities and community rehabilitation for IDPs and vulnerable communities. A sister program works to reduce gender-based violence in the IDPs communities by raising community awareness of the issue and providing assistance and protection to victims.

Assistance to Victims and Missing Persons

In partnership with the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, the VAMPP program (Victims and Missing Persons Program) provides psycho-social assistance to families of persons killed or disappeared as a result of internal conflict in Colombia. CHF will undertake initial consultations with local organizations and select four as implementing partners, providing training and expertise to better equip them to assist local communities. The program will then educate the Colombian public about community aid services available to victims’ families. Long term goals include increasing the capacity of local organizations to provide psychosocial and legal support to families of disappeared persons and increasing awareness among victims’ families of services available through the Colombian government.

Assistance for Disabled Victims of Violence

Through funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, CHF International is partnering with the local organization Fundación Arcángeles to provide opportunities to disabled internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the conflict in Colombia. CHF will sponsor a pilot initiative that offers personalized attention to disabled victims of violence and displacement through improved psychosocial counseling and career training. In keeping with CHF’s community-oriented approach to development, we are also working to increase the ability of local organizations to support the disabled IDPs. These are essential activities because disabled IDPs require individualized attention correspondent to their disability. Through cooperation with the government of Colombia and other local organizations, CHF will be able to strengthen employment opportunities for people with disabilities through training & services and improve their quality of life by linking aid recipients with locally sustainable disability programs. For more information on this program, please see our press release here.

Assistance for Displaced Colombians: 

As Accion Social's national implementor of IDP programs, we developed a comprehensive approach to supporting IDPs in their transition to stability. We worked closely with them to develop their national plan for support to IDPs in 26 cities and over 150 municipalities in Colombia. Our programs provided IDPs access to temporar shelter, psychosocial support, and a range of activities to improve access to services and community infrastructure. In addition, the capacity of governmental and nongovernmental organizations to assist IDPs was strengthened.

Development Finance: Microfinance Institution Express Microfinanzas

CHF International/Colombia serves as a technical assistance provider and second-tier lender to 22 local microfinance institutions, who, in turn, lend to approximately 6,000 people. Express Microfinanzas has also recently branched into first-tier lending, providing direct loans to clients. The loans have a 100 percent repayment rate, and since its inception has disbursed $13.9 million to support the Colombian microfinance sector.