Campaigns - Cajibío Sister Project
[Cajibío | SOA/WHINSEC | Bikes | CAFTA]

Ithaca-Syracuse-Cortland, NY and Cajibío, Cauca, Colombia

Colombia has been through over 40 years of civil war. The campesino population has suffered greatly from this violent and social conflict; paramilitaries and guerrilla forces are infamous for their human rights abuses inflicted on the poor, including assassinations, forced disappearances, persecution, targeting of individuals, arrests, forced displacement and threats. In addition, the inequitable distribution of Colombia's resources has led to the accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few and misery for a large number of Colombian families.

Who is our sister community?

The Small Farmer Movement of Cajibío seeks to establish relationships of equality, fraternity and solidarity on an international level. These international relationships will aid communities, organizations and their leaders in the following ways:

· bringing international attention to human rights abuses in Colombia.

· allowing for international denunciation of persecution against activists carried out in the name of fighting "terrorism".

· as threats against communities or individuals are made known, the Colombian government will be obligated to respond to international pressure. This helps create a degree of protection.

· bringing international attention to attacks against the population can lessen the likelihood that these cases will end in total impunity. Upon receiving such reports, the United States government will demand that just policies of social democracy be implemented.

· generating confidence and strength in our organization to continue with our commitment.

· making a true solidarity between peoples possible.

U.S. involvement with Colombia

Colombia, the biggest recipient of U.S. aid globally after Israel and Egypt, has received by far the most assistance -- both military and economic -- in the region for the last several years, and the sheer volume of aid as a proportion of all aid going to Latin America dominates the regional picture. Colombia is also the recipient of the largest number of SOA/WHISC graduates (www.soaw.org).

While the enormous quantity of military aid to Colombia -- $605 million in 2003 and $553 million requested for 2004 compared to $137 million and $136 million in economic and social aid, respectively -- naturally skews the balance, a number of other countries receive or will soon receive more security-related aid than social and economic assistance.

Central New York and Colombia Working Together!

Goals for Sister Project

One of our goals through this sister project is to provide an alternative to the militarism and exploitation that dominates U.S.-Colombian relations. By spreading awareness of our sister community, members of our local communities will have the opportunity to establish a personal connection with our neighbors in Colombia. Through this sister project, we will work in solidarity with the community of Cajibío towards their goals, which include developing organic agriculture projects, improving the nutritional state of families, providing preventive health care for children, facilitating community work and creating jobs. The Ithaca-Syracuse-Cortland sister project with Cajibío, Cauca is a mutually beneficial global effort that focuses on education and solidarity among fellow Americans.

• Latin American Solidarity Conference
• Center for International Policy
• Znet
• National Mobilization on Colombia