| Greetings! |  Colombia has just surpassed Sudan as having the worst internal displacement crisis in the world. Over 4 million Colombians have been violently forced from their homes. While the war responsible for this crisis has raged for decades, the pace of displacement has intensified in recent years. Last year, 1500 Colombians fled their homes every day. For far too long, the US has been part of the problem, not the solution. US policy towards Colombia has been dominated by displacement-exacerbating military aid, fumigations, and now a proposed NAFTA-style free trade agreement. ( See below for more details.) Now is the moment for bold action. Obama has plenty of things to think about in his first several months--Colombia should be one of them. Four million displaced Colombians cannot afford to wait any longer. In this era of changing the way things are done in Washington, it's our chance to call on Obama to chart a new path with Colombia--one that halts the displacement, supports victims of violence, and opens avenues to peace. You can help us do just that on April 19 and 20 during the Days of Prayer and Action for Colombia. Hundreds of congregations will be praying for peace in Colombia, thousands of paper dolls will be publicly presented to Obama to highlight Colombia's crisis, and over ten thousand postcards and faxes will pour into the White House to call for a clean break in our Colombia policy. ( See our call below.) Here are two ways that you can start right now to help build this avalanche of action: | | 1. Get your Faith Community on Board | Day of Prayer for Colombia: April 19, 2009-faith communities all over the Northeast
The Plan: On the weekend of April 19 faith communities across the US will be incorporating Colombia into the worship service to raise awareness of the spiraling violence and pray for peace. Many will then send postcards calling on Obama to take concrete steps towards change.
What you can do now: This weekend, talk to a leader in your faith community about this opportunity to pray and act for peace. Ask them to set aside Sunday, April 19 to focus on Colombia during the worship service. Colombia-focused elements could include a sermon, prayer, and/or special presentation. We can provide a packet that presents sample sermons and prayers, bulletin inserts, and background info on the conflict in Colombia. Please contact Joanne Ranney to let her know that you are interested and she'll send on the materials (wfpne@witnessforpeace.org, 802-434-2980).
| | 2. Host a Doll-Making Party | Day of Action for Colombia: April 20, 2009
The Plan: On April 20, people in a half-dozen cities across the US will creatively and publicly present 4000 paper cut-out dolls, each one representing 1000 of Colombia's 4 million displaced people, to governmental representatives. These symbolic actions, intended to raise the profile of Colombia's crisis, will take place in New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. In preparation, we're calling on university groups, community organizations, and congregations to host doll-making parties in February and March. These parties are an opportunity to learn more about Colombia's crisis, send faxes to Obama, and make dolls to be used in the public actions.
What you can do now: Ask your student club, church group, or community organization to consider doing a doll-making party within the next two months. Contact Joanne Ranney to let her know that you're interested (wfpne@witnessforpeace.org, 802-434-2980). She'll send you a packet to help set up the party, including a displacement factsheet, a doll-making guide, and a compelling video on Colombia's crisis. |
| For nearly a decade, the US has been part of the problem, not the solution:
- Through Plan Colombia, the US has given over six billion taxpayer dollars to Colombia, most of it to arm and train the country's military, notorious for killing innocent civilians and then dressing them up to appear to be guerrillas.
- Aerial fumigations, another component of US aid, have displaced thousands of farmers by killing their crops (both illicit and licit), while utterly failing to curtail coca production.
 The US-Colombia free trade agreement, still pending approval by our Congress, would further exacerbate displacement by decimating Colombia's small-scale farmers with an influx of heavily-subsidized US grains.
- Download Fact Sheets
| | Our Call to Obama |
(As written on the Days of Prayer and Action postcard. To order postcards for your group, contact Joanne Ranney at wfpne@witnessforpeace.org, 802-434-2980.) Dear President Obama, With four million internally displaced, Colombia is home to the Western Hemisphere's greatest humanitarian crisis, and ongoing conflict has forced half a million people to flee to neighboring countries. I ask that you take bold action towards a new U.S. policy in Colombia, beginning by: - Ending all military aid to Colombia.
- Using U.S. influence to promote a negotiated end to the conflict.
- Prioritizing social and humanitarian funding for internally displaced persons and refugees, and supporting victims' efforts to find truth and obtain justice and reparations.
- Forging economic relationships that protect and create opportunities for small farmers, the rural poor, and endangered workers, rather than passing a free trade agreement capable of pushing the Colombia's poor into further poverty.
- Ending fumigation and forced eradication programs that have pushed thousands of farmers from their lands without reducing coca production.
| |  | Please donate as generously as you are able.
| Mail donations to:
WFPNE
P.O. 147
Richmond, VT 05477
or we can now accept credit card donations .
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