USAID Community Stabilization Activity: Monthly Highlights August 2020

The activity focuses on promoting peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and fraternity among refugee and migrant populations, Colombian returnees, and host communities through joint community initiatives. In the Alfonso López neighborhood of Ipiales, Nariño, a social and cultural integration project was launched to address high levels of poverty, overcrowding, and xenophobia. The project aims to promote social cohesion and economic development through community-led initiatives. The project has made significant progress in designing effective mechanisms for monitoring commitments and responsibilities agreed in the Territorial Development Plans. A monitoring tool for migration public policies was constructed in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General of the Nation, and agreements were established with the Border Management Unit of the Presidency of Colombia to build a tool for following up on commitments on human mobility at the local level. In Riohacha, the USAID Community Stabilization Activity has been carrying out activities for family strengthening, particularly in the Commune 10, where families face challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy includes distributing family hygiene kits and awareness-raising sessions on self-care issues to reduce health risks. A citizenship training plan is also being implemented, which will include a specific unit addressing COVID-19-related issues. The activity has also been working with community leaders, such as María Mindiola, a Yukpa indigenous woman who has been translating coronavirus prevention messages into her native language to help her community. The project has also been supporting social entrepreneurs, such as Naudis José Cordero, who is working to create a country home for the elderly in Valle del Cauca and provide work opportunities to those in need. The USAID Community Stabilization Activity has a presence in various territories, including Bolívar, Cartagena, Cali, Magdalena, La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Santander, Arauca, Vichada, Bogotá D.C., Cesar, Atlántico, Bolívar, Cundinamarca, Nariño, Valle del Cauca, Santa Marta, Chía, Soledad, Ipiales, Bucaramanga, Arauca, Valledupar, Maicao, Cúcuta, Puerto Carreño, Barranquilla, Soacha, Riohacha, and Villa del Rosario. The activity is working to strengthen community integration and health care services in these territories.