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Human Rights Accompaniment Volunteers Needed in Colombia The Fellowship of Reconciliation’s Colombia Peace Presence is an accompaniment project that started in the Colombian Peace Community of San José de Apartadó. In January 2005, we also opened a small office in Bogota to support this accompaniment and to increase our ability to highlight other Colombian grassroots peace initiatives in order to show positive alternatives that are being built all over the country be people affected by the conflict. Volunteers applying for our next training will be prepared for both - service in San José de Apartadó as well as in Bogotá. San José de Apartadó, located in Colombia's northern region of Urabá, is one of many communities in Colombia that have taken an extraordinary and nonviolent stand against war, by refusing to support any armed actor involved in Colombia's decades-long conflict. The community has suffered terribly from political violence, mostly by paramilitary groups supported by the Colombian Army, and remains a principle obstacle to the paramilitary’s expansion of its violent project in the Urabá and Chocó regions. In March 2001, the Peace Community, whose central settlement of San José was accompanied by volunteers of Peace Brigades International, requested that the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) work to establish a long-term accompaniment presence in the nearby settlement of La Unión. La Unión is the agricultural center of the Peace Community, and has been victim to repeated paramilitary attacks. The FOR initiated its presence in La Unión in February 2002, with two volunteers. These first months of our project in Colombia were centered on the physical presence of the volunteers in the settlement of La Unión. We did not have volunteers in Colombia between October of 2002 and July 2003, because of a lack of trained applicants. On the basis of an evaluation of the project’s initial experience we decided that the coming volunteer teams would spend more time outside La Unión to broaden the FOR's persective on other Peace Communities and grassroots peace efforts in Colombia. Volunteers also participate in meetings and events. FOR now seeks eager, committed, and skilled volunteers prepared to continue the accompaniment of this living example of nonviolent resistance. Individuals may apply at any time during the year; we will keep the applications on file until a next training is scheduled. The training is free except for the travel expenses to the training site in the US, though applicants are expected to dedicate significant energy to their preparation for service. The application process has three stages: a written application; an interview (which can be by phone); and the volunteer training. Volunteer service starting dates are subject to the program's needs and the scheduling of volunteer trainings. Due to the small size of our teams, we don't anticipate having any openings on either team until the Fall of 2006. We will most likely schedule our next volunteer training for the summer of 2006. If you are interested in applying, please contact us and bear in mind that we are seeking candidates 21 years of age or older, with a commitment to principled nonviolence, proficiency in both English and Spanish, and with a willingness to commit to at least 12 months of service. Volunteer recruitment is ongoing - we will maintain a long-term presence of volunteers through a continuous, overlapping rotation of new volunteers. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like more information on volunteering or on the project in general. Fellowship of Reconciliation Colombia Program Volunteer
Job Description: Volunteer Responsibilities: The purpose of the accompaniment presence in San José de Apartadó is to assist in protecting the lives of the community, and by doing so, help to maintain open the space for human rights and for neutrality of the civilian population in the Colombian countryside. To this end, the volunteers seek, as far as possible within their resources to: Offer nonviolent support and protective accompaniment to members and leaders of the San José community (especially in the settlement of La Unión), and to the Colombian organizations that accompany them, as they are threatened with violence from various sides. Identify what is happening in the country through direct observation and by listening to a wide range of viewpoints and experiences, respecting the need expressed by involved parties for confidentiality; Provide the outside world with a non-partisan analysis and reports of the situation as viewed from within the country or community; Provide accurate and timely information to the Fellowship of Reconciliation in cases of attack or threat against the community, to assist in directing international attention toward the need for human rights protection. Volunteer Requirements:
Financial Arrangements: FOR covers living expenses (food, lodging, and travel when doing FOR work) in the field during the term of service (in addition to providing a small monthly stipend and some health insurance). Volunteers are strongly encouraged to raise money to assist with their personal expenses while serving on the team. Training for Volunteers: FOR will work with each volunteer to
develop a training plan, which may include any or all of the following: FOR-led
training sessions, attendance at the training sessions of other accompaniment
organizations (such as Peace Brigades International), self-study plans, and attendance
at conferences, classes or trainings on specific topics. In addition to training,
each volunteer first will go through an interview process. The interview process
is a mutual-discernment process — to help the volunteer decide if serving
in this project is a commitment he or she would like to make, and to help FOR
determine if he or she is adequately prepared for the experience. For more information or to apply, please contact: Fellowship
of Reconciliation © Fellowship of Reconciliation |