Colombia conflict
What's happening in Colombia?
Colombia has been ravaged by an internal conflict that has lasted for decades. The continuing conflict has seen clashes between the Colombian army, guerrilla organisations, paramilitary groups and criminal gangs.
Inevitably, the civilian population has been caught in the crossfire. Despite progress in recent years, people are still being forcibly displaced from their homes. They face intimidation and violence, and lose their property, livelihoods and documentation.
Estimates for the total number of displaced Colombians range from 3.5 to 4.6 million. Some estimate that 350,000 people were newly displaced in 2009 and the same number again in 2010.
Estebana and Sebastian are part of a displaced community in Manpujam who were also badly affected by the flooding in December 2010.
© Liliana Gomez/ HelpAge International
Displaced older people
Colombia is Latin America's fastest ageing country, with people over the age of 60 making up 9% of the population.
Official sources say 10.1% of the displaced are older people. Many older displaced people do not declare their displacement for various reasons. They may be unaware of how to do so, fear reprisals or be unable to get to government services.
There is very little data on older people who have been forced from their homes. However, our partner, Fundación Paz y Bien, conducted a survey of 150 older displaced people in Aguablanca, Cali in 2009-10. They found that 41% of respondents were unable to read or write, making it harder for them to access basic services and declare displacement.
Older people are also more likely than other groups to resist displacement, preferring to remain on their land or stay and look after their grandchildren.
Issues facing displaced older people
Displacement affects older people disproportionately, as they find it more difficult to adapt to new environments than younger generations. Some of the problems they face are:
- Physical health: Older people often face health problems which are further exacerbated by displacement. These include problems with their eyesight and hearing, chronic diseases such as hyper-tension or diabetes, and disabilities. Health services tend to exclude older people by prioritising women and children.
- Mental health: Over half the older people surveyed said they suffered from depression after being uprooted. Causes included feeling unfamiliar with their new surroundings, being subjected to age discrimination and losing their role as providers.
- Malnutrition: Many displaced older people showed signs of malnutrition due to lack of income and secure food sources. Poor teeth further limit their food intake.
- Caring responsibilities: 33% of the older displaced people surveyed were looking after grandchildren and 29% were the sole contributors to their family. This shows the importance of older people's role as carers.
- Natural disasters: The recent flooding in December 2010 also had a big impact on older people, including those displaced. We are working to help those affected.
What is HelpAge doing in Colombia?
With our partner Fundación Paz y Bien, we are supporting older people displaced from the Pacific Coast in the district of Aguablanca, Cali. Many displaced people in these urban areas live in shanty towns with high levels of poverty, unemployment, over-crowding and violence.
Currently, we:
- provide legal advice to 1,660 displaced people, giving priority treatment to older people to help them access services. We show people where they can declare their displacement. We help them with paperwork so they can access a government humanitarian package and are included in the official register of displaced people.
- provide psycho-social support for 230 older displaced people and 930 family members through individual and group gerontology and therapy. This includes appointments with a psychologist and gerontologist. We also provide workshops about health, nutrition and hygiene. We also organise memory and cultural workshops, which include traditional music, craft-making and group outings.
- provide psycho-social support to 70 displaced children many of whom are cared for by their grandparents. We provide group therapy sessions with a child psychologist and intergenerational activities with the displaced grandparents to improve relationships between the generations.
- lobby local service providers so that they include older people. This includes organising meetings and workshops with local authorities to raise their awareness. For example, our partner has given advice to the International Committee of the Red Cross on how to better provide assistance for older people.
Our work with Fundación Paz y Bien is funded by ECHO (the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid department).
We are also working with our partner Fundación Red Desarrollo y Paz de los Montes de Maria in the rural northern region of Montes de Maria. Together, we are supporting older people in communities that were affected by the internal armed conflict with high unemployment rates and little access to basic services.
Currently, we:
- empower older people by making sure they are aware of their rights and the services they are entitled to.
- help set up older citizens' monitoring groups which work with local authorities to ensure that older people's rights are recognised, and they can access health services and cash transfers.
- work with local authorities to raise awareness of older people's rights, and encourage them to include older people's suggestions for improving their services.
- provide a mobile socio-legal and psycho-social team to assist people and organise group activities.
Our work with Fundación Red Desarrollo y Paz de los Montes de Maria is funded by Irish Aid.
What's next?
- We will work with other international humanitarian agencies. This will ensure they include older people in emergency medical service provision in conflict areas that state services can't reach.
Disclaimer: The views on this page are HelpAge's own and do not necessarily reflect those of our funders.
