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At 13, Tania fled home and an abusive stepfather to join an illegal armed group. Hoping to find a better life, Tania soon became disillusioned. Forced to work as a “bearer,” Tania carried heavy loads of equipment, often for several days and nights on end. With no permanent place to live or income, she ate only what she could scrounge up. Tania considered running away, but lost hope and resigned herself to spending the rest of her life as a slave. At the age of sixteen, she was shot during a battle and hospitalized.

Scientists consider the Bajo Mira area, located on Colombia’s Pacific coast, as one of the world’s richest biological “hot zone” habitats. Home to a variety of plant and animal species, illegal logging practices seriously threatened the ecosystem. Recognizing that it was important to protect this rare ecological area, the nearby communities — Bajo Mira and Frontera — united to find a solution. On August 23, 2005, they formally established their own Community Forestry Enterprise.

Colombia’s Urabá region has long suffered from serious security problems. In this tense climate, illegal armed groups often battled each other for control of land to grow illegal drug crops, such as coca. Today, the situation is changing, thanks to the efforts of strong eradication and alternative development programs. USAID’s alternative development projects have helped poor farmers and other vulnerable groups transition from the illegal drug economy to a legitimate business economy by sharing technical expertise on agriculture and small business development.

Juan Avendaño is a small coffee producer on northern Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world’s largest seaside mountain, and a pilot area for the Government of Colombia’s Family Forest Wardens program, which aids small farmers previously involved in illicit crop production to gain access to wider markets at home and abroad for legal products that they agree to grow.

Bello, Chaparral, El Bagre, Remedios, Segovia, and other similar Colombian towns located in rural conflict areas share problems such as poverty, unemployment and serious issues related to domestic violence, gangs, neighborhood conflicts and displaced rural populations.

With the support of USAID, and the commitment of the Colombian government, these municipalities now share a solution that is helping alleviate those problems: Justice Houses - integrated, multi-agency service centers that address pressing community justice needs.

USAID/Colombia is partnering with the Carrera Theater Foundation to educate Colombia’s children about justice and human rights and build their trust in the country’s justice institutions. As a result of the partnership, a play was created to teach young children about these values, as well as ways to access justice through peaceful means such as mediation.

Challenging logistics, high cost of travel and armed conflict in Colombia’s judicial district of Villavicencio made holding court hearings very difficult until a USAID program installed virtual court rooms in the region.

USAID is increasing access to justice for Colombian children who are victims of sexual and other abuse through its support to Creemos en Ti or the “We Believe in You” Foundation and Bienestar Familiar, the Colombian Government’s Family Protection Agency.

Paula Correa is not the real name of this 24-year-old woman, who is still afraid of the danger to her and her 8-year-old son. Her story is one of loss and pain, survival and hope, hard work and an encouraging future.

Paula’s family had to abandon their farm in the province of Cundinamarca, where they grew beans that were often stolen by the FARC. After FARC rebels killed a relative, and threatened her mother, two brothers and her baby son, Paula had to run.

Residents of Soacha, Colombia, and the surrounding areas learned to resolve their differences through mediation thanks to an award-winning USAID-supported program.