National Day of Action for Colombia
April 20, 2009

Get involved today!

Help us make April 20th a success!

Dear Supporter,

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 be a part of "Change Colombia Can Believe In". Join us for the National Day of Action on April 20:

• Postcards for Peace--Sign
  a postcard to the Obama administration calling for a new policy. Then
  get 15 friends to do the same. Email jess@witnessforpeace.org to order
  a stack of postcards.
• Flood Obama's office with messages
  on April 20 to call for a new policy toward Colombia. Let President
  Obama know that the time is now to leave behind tired military policies
  and start fresh. Click here to send your message early.
• Expose the Crisis--Help
  deliver thousands of paper dolls, representing the millions of
  displaced Colombians, to your governmental representatives on April
  20. 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. Click here to contact your local organizer.

To make April 20 a success, we need your help now:

Get your Faith Community on Board

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 April 17-19 to focus on Colombia during the worship service. Colombia-focused elements could include a sermon, prayer, and/or special presentation. Click here to download a packet that presents sample sermons and prayers, bulletin inserts, and background info on the conflict in Colombia. Please email Jess Hunter-Bowman if you are interested in particpating in this event (jess@witnessforpeace.org).

Host a Doll-Making Party

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 Portand, New York, Washington D.C., Chicago, 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, faith community, or community organization to consider hosting a doll-making party within the next two months. Email Jess Hunter-Bowman if you are interested in hosting a party (jess@witnessforpeace.org). Click here to download 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.

Witness for Peace

3628 12th Street NE. 1st Fl.,

Washington, DC 20017

202.547.6112 - 202.536.4708

witness@witnessforpeace.org

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