Programs action medeor

Together with the local partner organizations Taller Abierto and CDP, action medeor is working in two areas of Colombia to improve living conditions and promote peaceful and healthy coexistence. The need is great: women and young girls in particular are severely affected by violence and discrimination, and assaults and domestic violence are on the rise. People in rural indigenous regions are also particularly disadvantaged when it comes to important infrastructure such as healthcare and education, and insecure working conditions in agriculture or domestic work often do not offer secure prospects for the future. The effects of decades of armed conflict and refugee movements from neighboring Venezuela also have a strong impact on daily life and coexistence in the communities.

Health care and food security

The first focus of the project is to provide refugees, their host communities and people affected by the internal conflict with better access to basic healthcare and to implement measures to improve health and promote peace, including awareness-raising measures on conflict resolution and reconciliation.

To strengthen healthcare in rural areas of Montes de Maria and Canal de Dique, five health posts are being converted into functional health posts for the target population through minor renovation measures and the provision of necessary medical equipment. In order to ensure adequate healthcare, the medical staff at the facilities are also being trained and health promoters are being trained to support the mobile healthcare provided by the local public healthcare system in self-managed teams.

In the project regions of Montes de Maria and Canal de Dique, 100 home gardens with medicinal plants are also being planted and people are being trained in the handling and use of proven traditional healing methods and plants through accompanying workshops.

A nutrition program is being established in the rural regions of Montes de Maria and Canal de Dique: 250 children under the age of 5 at risk of malnutrition are being selected for the nutrition program, accompanied by treatment and advice from medical professionals and nutrition specialists.

Taller Abierto was founded in 1992 as a non-profit organization. For more than 15 years, action medeor and Taller Abierto have been working together on projects in Colombia, particularly in the areas of women's rights, prevention of gender-based violence and care for refugees. The second local project partner is the organization CDP (Corporación Desarrollo y Paz del Canal del Dique y Zona Costera), which was founded in 2009 as an association of the Catholic Church with universities and private sector companies in the city of Cartagena. CDP carries out projects in Colombia, particularly in the Colombian Caribbean region, mainly with young people, women, displaced persons, returnees, Venezuelan migrants, host communities and vulnerable population groups. In 2019, action medeor and CDP launched their first joint project to provide medical care and advice to Venezuelan refugees in Cartagena.

The second project focus is to advise and support those affected by sexualized and gender-based violence and to strengthen people's mental health in the context of flight and violence. To this end, counseling and psychosocial support is provided in the form of group or individual sessions. Depending on the context, the focus is on issues such as peaceful coexistence in the family, raising children or behavior in and dealing with experiences of sexual violence, right through to suicide prevention.

In order to strengthen the living conditions of women and young people in particular and promote economic independence, women are supported in becoming financially independent and the exchange of experiences among entrepreneurs is promoted. The activities are intended to help internally displaced persons, Venezuelan refugees and returnees in particular to achieve financial independence and thus revitalize the local economy within the indigenous communities and municipalities. In the northern project region, measures are being implemented to strengthen family agricultural businesses, including through training courses on sustainable agriculture and the distribution of seeds.