CPTnet
4 April 2011
COLOMBIA: Christian Peacemaker Teams urgently seeking participants for delegations to Colombia, 19 May- 2 June and 14-27 July 2011.  Apply IMMEDIATELY to join May group.

 The delegation scheduled for 19 May-2 June will focus on the communities of Garzal and Nueva Esparanza.  For decades, farmers have cultivated lands in these communities in southern Bolívar province.  According to Colombian law, they have a right to the land after ten years.  Instead, Colombian authorities granted title for these lands to a drug lord, now deceased, who operated a cocaine-processing laboratory until his operation was closed down in the 1980s.  Now his heirs are trying to sell the property to agro-businesses that want the land to mono-crop palm oil.  Despite death threats, the community is remaining on the land.  Currently embroiled in a legal process to have their right of possession recognized and titles granted to community members, they have asked Christian Peacemaker Teams to accompany them in this struggle.

CPT's delegation to Colombia will also meet with church, human rights, and social justice organizers in Bogotá and Barrancabermeja, the industrial city in the Magdalena Medio region where CPT's full-time team has been based since 2001.  In Colombia, an insurgency-counterinsurgency war has left over 200,000 people dead since 1964 and displaced over four million others from their homes.  Now, large corporate agro-business concerns are playing an increasing and sometimes violent role in the displacement of Colombian villagers.

The focus of the July delegation will be announced later.

CPT is a faith-based group that seeks participants who are interested in human rights work, committed to nonviolence and to undoing racism, and willing to participate in team worship and reflection.  Delegates should have plans to share about the trip upon return to their home communities and congregations.  

FUNDRAISING EXPECTATION: $2100 US/ $2400 Cdn. Round-trip airfare from a designated U.S. or Canadian city, all on-ground travel, two to three meals a day, simple accommodations, and all honorariums and delegation fees are covered. Those planning to join the delegation from countries other than the U.S. or Canada, contact the Delegation Coordinator (contact details below) for more information on travel and fundraising expectations.

Most CPT delegations involve some physical rigors.  English language fluency is required for full participation.Funding support: CPT has limited funds available to assist applicants who otherwise could not participate.  CPT is committed to undoing racism and will give preference for funding support to applicants from communities that have been disadvantaged by racism.  Contact Delegation Coordinator to apply.

For more information or to apply, contact Claire Evans, Delegation Coordinator; phone 773-376-0550; fax 773-376-0549; e-mail delegations@cpt.org, or see CPT's website at: http://cpt.org/participate/delegation.

For more background on Garzal and other communities CPT accompanies, see http://www.cpt.org/content/communities-we-accompany.