Jean-Luc Martinage, IFRC in Popayan, Colombia
Popayan is a lovely city in southern Colombia that has managed to preserve its Spanish colonial style monuments. It is known as the “white city” because all of the houses in the city centre are painted white. However, despite its dynamism and cultural heritage, Popayan is located in an area affected for many years by the ongoing internal conflict. Displaced people had no alertnative but to move to Popayan or to other Colombian urban areas where they have been living in precarious conditions for a very long time.
Just a few minutes drive from the historical centre, we get to the “20 enero” district - a very different world.
Displaced by the internal conflict
Blanca was among the first inhabitants of the district made up of wooden houses with very basic water and sanitation facilities. The 38-year-old mother of three had to leave her village in the Cauca region because of the conflict and she is still waiting to be able to go back or to move to a better place.
It is in this highly vulnerable environment that Colombian Red Cross volunteer Sofia Bedoya and her colleagues come to the shanty town to do another outdoor HIV prevention session. Even though the session is opened to everyone, it is meant to sensitize mainly women who are a group particularly at risk because of the difficult environment. The district is affected by gang violence, mostly related to drug trafficking. It is not unusual for the dealers to offer a “free trial” to make sure people get addicted.
Untold sexual violence
“This generates also a lot of sexual violence even if women try to hide it because they are afraid of telling the truth,” explains Sofia. “We have also seen cases of young girls being raped by their stepfathers.”
The difficulty for women to manage their own sexuality is further complicated by the fact many husbands leave for several weeks because they cannot find a job in Popayan. While they are away, men often go with sex workers and, on their return, their wives risk being infected with HIV. Most people come from rural areas and have very limited knowledge about sexuality and do not have access to birth control methods.
“To be honest, I should tell you that I had never seen a condom before the Red Cross showed it to me,” explains Blanca. “Now, I know what a condom is but sometimes we don’t have the money to buy them so the free distribution from the Red Cross in our neighbourhood also helps a lot.”
But the prevention session is much more than just distributing condoms. It is also an opportunity to inform people, listen to them and answer their questions and concerns. How to convince the husband to wear a condom if it is clear he is seeing other women while he is away? Sofia also explains how to properly use a condom while participants are also given an information leaflet.
Learning from each other
When asked why she decided to get involved with the HIV programme of the Colombian Red Cross in her city, Sofia explains that she believes in prevention activities and much needs to be done among vulnerable communities such as displaced people especially when they are sexually active.
“But there is also a more personal part in my involvement, which started 11 years ago. I also learn so much from these women and their ability to be so resilient despite their difficult living conditions. Working with them made me think about priorities in life and the importance of family unity,” she adds.
A few minutes later, once the information session is over, the Red Cross car pulls out of the narrow streets of the “enero 20” district surrounded by children waving at volunteers. Sofia’s home is less than five minutes by car from the shanty town and no doubt both herself and the inhabitants of the district are eagerly waiting for the next HIV sensitization session and other activities also provided by Red Cross volunteers to displaced people such as psychosocial support and first aid.
Colombia is one of the 10 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that are members of the Red Cross Global Alliance on HIV supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).