Delegates will meet with church leaders and human rights workers in Bogota, then travel to the port city of Barrancabermeja in the Magdalena Medio region, where CPT's long-term team is based, then to the municipality of Micoahumado. The Magdalena Medio region of Colombia has a complex history of engagement with both the armed conflict and the organization of non-violent, civil society alternatives. As Colombia's richest oil and gold producing region--as well as an important region for coca growing, processing, and transportation to northern markets--the Magdalena Medio continues to be a centre of conflict between the Colombian Armed Forces, left-wing guerrilla organizations, and right-wing paramilitaries. In spite of the ongoing violence and the negative impacts of State-sponsored programs such as coca fumigation, many communities have organized themselves into Humanitarian Spaces that work to build a culture of peace and basic human rights. Delegates will meet with rural communities and their leaders in the municipality of Micoahumado.

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CPT is an ecumenical violence-reduction initiative with support and membership from a range of Catholic and Protestant denominations. CPT has had a continuing presence in the Magdalena Medio region of Colombia since May 2001.

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $1900 US or $2200 Cdn (covers roundtrip airfare).