The Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) supports projects worldwide that strive to promote and defend the rights of local communities. In Colombia, a country characterized by high levels of inequality, our partners have been active on a range of issues, including the civic inclusion of marginalized populations.
One of those key partnerships has been focussed on Buenaventura, a city of half a million inhabitants, of which a large majority is Afro-Colombian. Buenaventura is the largest port in Colombia, generating important revenues for the state, but 80% of its population lives in poverty, and 41% in extreme poverty. Many do not have access to basic services including water, sewage, housing, health and quality education, or decent employment.
But in 2017, following decades of marginalization and racism, the people of Buenaventura took to the streets. Over 20 days, what became known as the “Civic Strike to live with dignity and peace in the territory” mobilized local civil society. An agreement was eventually reached between the protesters and the Colombian government to implement the changes that the residents of Buenaventura were demanding. For many, this process also represented an awakening with regards to their right to live in dignity.
However, nothing guaranteed the effective implementation of the agreements reached during the strike. This is why over the past two years, with support from SHF, local organization Fundación Aribi has coordinated a project to strengthen the Civic Strike movement among its bases and envision new ways for the population, especially youth, to participate and live within the Buenaventura they desire. In 2023, organizers conducted workshops with representatives of local cultural, union and community activist groups, who replicated the training with members of their own organizations. Students in local high schools also participated in workshops, and then conducted awareness raising activities with their peers. To further the goal of advancing gender equity, the organizers ensured an overall parity was reached between women and men participants.
In 2024, Fundación Aribi plans a further expansion of outreach activities and ongoing networking between participating community organizations, so that the people of Buenaventura continue can continue holding the authorities accountable to their responsibilities.
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