Building community links for displaced families

Families forcibly displaced from their homes by armed conflict in Colombia are being helped to build new community links and social support networks.

The neighbourhood of Altos del Rosario has been the setting for a project to improve housing for 200 families who had settled in the area after being displaced. One of the main difficulties for families moving to a new area in these circumstances is finding suitable, safe long-term housing where they can begin to build relationships with their neighbours and feel secure.

Children of displaced families can be traumatised by their experience, and a settled home and social network in a new area is essential for a successful return to a normal life.

The project aimed to involve the whole community, especially children, in the planning and implementation of new housing units. The planning phase was done in collaboration with community leaders, establishing the objectives, scope and commitments involved in the proposal. The criteria for selecting the families to be rehoused were also decided in conjunction with community representatives.

The new units provide better shelter, privacy, security and flexible living space for the families rehoused. The provision of a bathroom in each unit also means a huge improvement to the health and hygiene of the occupants, who previously had no such facilities.

The housing improvement process has had a favourable impact on all aspects of private and community life for the families involved. The new housing and associated infrastructure means the neighbourhood is more attractive for everybody.

An occupant of one of the new homes said, “Now with pride, I can invite my friends home, and it feels different because now I have a living room and I can say to my friends – ‘this is your home’ – so I feel proud this house is my own home.”

People have found self-esteem and have strengthened their capability to face daily life thanks to the results obtained from individual and community work. In particular, women who actively participated in the scheme feel they have improved their standing with respect to men and other members of their community.           

“Now I feel capable of many things, at least of studying, of being a better person, of growing. I thought I was the ugliest woman in the world, which means my self-esteem was completely on the floor. Now, dealing with people from my community, I realised that the persons see my self-worth, and they are giving me a place within the community,” said one woman.