Days of Prayer and Action for Peace in Colombia
April 19 & 20, 2009"But let Justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream" - Amos 5:24 “We know that one of the strongest tools that Christians have is prayer. But prayer must be accompanied by action. The people must lead their government to sow justice and harvest peace.” - Ricardo Esquivia, Join hundreds of congregations in the United States, Canada and Colombia to pray for an end to the Colombian conflict and act for policy changes that better reflect the values of God’s kingdom.
Sign up to participate ResourcesUnited States: Day of Prayer Day of Action Canada: Devotional resource for small groups/families in Canada Canadian community action and witness BackgroundColombia: Colombia is a beautiful country, rich in culture, natural resources, bio-diversity and history. It is also a country devastated by a 40- year internal war which claims an average of 3,000 lives a year. Colombia faces one the worst humanitarian crisis in the Western Hemisphere; over 4.3 million people have been forced to flee from their homes. United States: The United States has supported the Colombian government by giving aid. Since 2000, the United States has appropriated over $6 billion; most of this has been in the form of military and police support to ostensibly eradicate the flow of cocaine and to fight terrorists. This policy of aid to Colombia, termed “Plan Colombia,” has exacerbated the war while proving ineffective in curbing the drug trade. Canada: Canada’s foreign policy towards Colombia has historically been one of supporting peace processes and human rights. However, the current Canadian government is pushing to ratify a free trade agreement with Colombia that could potentially worsen conditions for poor Colombians and victims of the violence. As one partner clearly stated, “the free trade agreement is absolutely against the interests of the Colombian people”. The current Free Trade Agreement being between Colombia and Canada bases its legitimacy upon the premise that the current administration of President Alvaro Uribe has improved security in the country and has made significant headway in respect for human rights. Contrary to this affirmation, the Colombian Consulting organization for Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES) found that in the last semester of 2008, the highest rate of displacement since 1 985 occurred, with over 270,000 people displaced within 6 months. Organizer Contacts
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