Introduction

The following blog is a review of the Christian Peacemaker Team (CPT) delegation trip I took on July 14 - 27, 2009. 

As you are reading, you can check out the "Informative Links" in the left column for more information about the given topic. 

CPT delegations are a group of temporary volunteers that assist long term volunteers of CPT in their work.  Most delegations are about two weeks.

CPT provides encouragement for individuals and communities experiencing violence, challenges violations of human rights and promotes active nonviolence as a means of settling disputes.  Christian Peacemaker Teams was invited to work in Colombia in 2001 by the Mennonite Church of Colombia; the main reasons for CPT involvement in Colombia being the high levels of human rights abuses perpetrated within the country as well as the nature of US and Canadian military and economic involvement in the country.

During our particular delegation we spent much of our time visiting communities that have been affected by violations of human rights through being displaced from their homes, having their community leaders or union leaders assassinated, fumigations of their crops through Plan Colombia and ongoing threats on their lives and way of life.   We also visited a variety of Colombian organizations involved in the work of investigating and challenging human rights abuses and providing aid and solidarity to communities who are being threatened to leave their homes and to those who have left their homes and are either trying to start a new life or are attempting to regain their homes.