Beginning in the 1960s, millions of Colombians were displaced during a 52-year war. They fled violence between guerrilla rebel forces in rural areas and drug cartel violence in the cities of Medellín and Cali. Even though Colombia is now a much safer place, the aftereffects of war remain.

 

Displacement has resulted in poverty, prostitution and broken families mostly concentrated in barrios to the south of Bogotá. There are no public services or police presence in these squatter communities.

 

Many of the refugees gathering in slums were farmers or indigenous groups forced to leave behind livelihoods that have been handed down through generations. Now their children spend hours wandering city streets unsupervised vulnerable to gangs, drugs and sexual exploitation. The conditions at home may be just as dangerous due to alcoholism and physical/sexual abuse, but with your support, children in Colombia can build safer lives for themselves and their communities.