Greetings All – I wanted to share an update on a
donation in Cauca, Colombia that was recently kicked off to help local youth enjoy a better quality of life. I recently traveled to Cali, Colombia to sync up with the US Special Operations advisors who are working in one of the most dangerous regions in South America.
Members of the indigenous community come together for the inaugural ceremony of the soccer tournament.
I met with a US team to conduct the launching of an inaugural ceremony for a soccer tournament that runs throughout the spring – you can read about this project
here. The tournament was created to bring together indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities with the Colombian Military and local police units to address some of the major issues in the region.
SoA field rep Nicholette Doliva, with local indigenous Commanders, a US Civil Affairs Soldier, and community planners meeting together for the first time on a Colombian military base.
Children from these communities are constantly trafficked into local gangs or criminal organization such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) or National Liberation Army (ELN). To counter these organizations, the Colombian government created a campaign called “Fe en Colombia.” Some of the programs offered in Fe En Colombia are designed to deter recruitment and illegal activity through recreational and cultural activities.
Uniforms and soccer balls donated by SoA to promote Fe en Colombia’s counter-recruitment campaign.
Children from a local marching band join together for the inaugural ceremony.
The US advisors and their Colombian partners identified 10 areas that traffic children the most. These areas have been FARC and ELN strongholds due to a lack of state presence and difficult terrain that isolates these communities. The Colombian government, military, and police, with support from US Civil Affairs and SoA will host a soccer match in each of these locations encouraging the local families to come out and participate. I had an opportunity to meet with the community planner, Gilberto Ibarra, and he said,
“Sunday is the best day for the tournament because the whole community attends. It’s a good way to get the family involved and for them to show support to these programs. It’s important to keep the kids involved so they can continue doing something good instead of running around doing something they will regret later in life.”
Teams march through the town wearing donated uniforms from SoA.
Unfortunately, some of these areas have not seen military and police forces regularly except during counter-gang/FARC/ELN operations. These recreational activities give school-aged children an opportunity to be in contact with security forces and allow them to interact and build confidence in a positive, informal setting. Community programs like the soccer tournament give the children hope, direction, and role models to look up to.
Teams march to the Colombian military base, the first time the indigenous population had set foot on the military base. This is a true example of building confidence and trust and as a result, relationships.
The inaugural ceremony was a success. A local band and the teams marched through the town in celebration of the event and kicked off the first game on the Colombian military base – the first time the indigenous tribe called “Nasa’s Piez” ever set foot on this soil. The soccer teams were extremely grateful for their uniforms and will continue the tournament into the spring. It’s because of your generous donation that our US troops were able to organize this event.
“Responsabilidad” meaning responsibility, is one of many values used as the team name on the back of the jerseys.
The greatest thanks goes to our supporters who donate and assist our troops in some of the world’s toughest environments. It’s because of people like you, people who see a need to help our military to build relationships and assist the local population to live a better life, that we can ultimately make each place better one project at a time. Thank you again for your generous and selfless support.
Nicholette Doliva
Project Manager, Latin America
