Colombia

Active in Colombia since 1998, Action Against Hunger has worked with vulnerable communities displaced by conflict and political instability, as well as those affected by frequent natural disasters, such as recurring floods. Our long-standing activities in nutrition and health, water, sanitation and hygiene, and longer-term food security have provided life-sustaining support for tens of thousands of Colombians faced with humanitarian challenges.

Our food security, nutrition and health programs provide a range of needed services, such as emergency food distributions, supplementary nutritional support for children, training and technical assistance in bolstering production and marketing, and support for rural health posts. Our teams are committed to continuing to assist Colombia’s vulnerable communities in their quest for improved nutrition and self-sufficiency.

After 50 years of conflict, a peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARQ was reached in 2016. However, the peacebuilding process has been slow, and the violence and displacements continue, a result of old and new armed groups in the context of a reconfiguration of powers and dynamics within the communities. Despite immense needs, the resources available to meet humanitarian goals have declined and funds for peacebuilding have not yet been finalized.

In 2017, we incorporated a peacebuilding approach into our work and also responded quickly and efficiently to the emergency in Mocoa, where a landslide destroyed large parts of the town, and in La Guajira where we are responding to a nutrition crisis. In La Guajira and in Santander, our teams are closely monitoring the humanitarian needs of Venezuelan migrants entering Colombia in search of work.