Child standing next to a field in Colombia.
Where we work

Colombia

Fifty years of armed conflict have left millions of Colombian children at risk of violence, displaced, and lacking the essentials to survive.  

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Violence continues to tear apart the lives of Colombian children.  

Alongside risk of murder and injury, they face recruitment into armed groups, gender-based violence, and forced displacement. In fact, a staggering 6.8 million people are displaced in Colombia while millions of Venezuelan families have been forced to cross the border since August 2017 to escape violence and starvation. An increasing number of children need humanitarian assistance, including food, water, and medicine. Many children suffer from long term mental distress as result of their experiences.  

Scale of the challenge

  • 8.3 M

    People in need of humanitarian assistance

  • 6.9 M

    People are internally displaced

  • 61 %

    increase in grave violations against children by 2023

Our work in Colombia

Our work in Colombia focuses on children’s wellbeing and youth empowerment, supporting children to positively shape their lives and those of their communities. We support those who are heavily impacted by armed conflict, including hard-to-reach groups such as indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities, as well as marginalised young people.  

Working in the departments of Cauca, Valle del Cauca, Bogotá, Chocó, and Guajira, our approach involves collaborating on projects with local and national organisations, particularly youth-led ones.  

We ensure community needs and resources are at the heart of our work, helping young people to identity key challenges in their communities and work within the limits of their environments to tackle them. 

Neiker, a War Child facilitator in Colombia.
We have helped to strengthen the existing protection structures in the community through training sessions and talks including reinforcing information about the rights of children.
Neiker, Community Facilitator

War Child programmes include: 

Child Protection 

Through our Seeds for Child Protection programme, we work with caregivers, teachers and community leaders to identify and address the main risks children face due to armed conflict, such as forced recruitment.  

Mental Health Support   

We provide children with specialised support ranging from individual counselling to play and movement-based activities. Many of our activities use art and creative expression to engage and inspire young people.  

97% of children who took part in our movement-based programme TeamUp said they learnt to recognise and manage their emotions.  

Support for Caregivers 

We run interventions with the important adults in children’s lives to help them reduce their stress, improve their own wellbeing and develop positive parenting skills.  

Youth Empowerment 

We support young people to tackle key challenges in their community and work with civil society to influence local policy change. We also bring migrant and host communities together to help combat prejudice and stigma.  

Mentorship & Training 

We help young people find work and pursue their passions through connecting them to mentorship and vocational training opportunities with local businesses.  

 

Project Focus - Atalaias sem Fronteiras: Youth for Peace 

Youth for Peace is a community-based project empowering young people to assert their rights. We work with marginalised children and youth in conflict-affected areas to take advocacy actions towards local and national governments and the private sector in order to create opportunities for themselves and promote inclusion.  

Mae Kiwe Project as part of Youth Empowerment taking place in Choco, Colombia.
Photo taken by Michael Jessurun
We won’t stop until every child living through conflict is safe from harm.  But we can’t do it without you. 

Donate to War Child today and help us be there for children in Colombia and other conflict zones around the world.

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