The Naya's people

The Naya River is one of the most beautiful and remote areas of the Colombian Pacific Coast, and a location chosen by the Afro-Colombian community to live after the abolition of slavery in 1850 for self-protection. Since then, they have developed a synergic relationship with the jungle and a self-governance system. Although the Afro-Colombians are currently much more integrated in the general society, there is no denying that they are many communities, like the inhabitants of the Naya basin, whose living conditions are alarmingly poor and their lives threatened due to the institutional abandon they suffer and the presence of different illegal armed groups and narcotraffic activities. Many organizations are working for these people. Alianza por la Solidaridad particularly gives support to get access to basic services, protect their rights and prevent them from joining the armed groups or working for the narcos. During 7 months, I was covering its activities in the area focusing on capacity building activities on different topics as a means of empowerment.

Carmen Moreno for Alianza por la Solidaridad (Colombia, 2019)

Two children playing outside a classroom of the school in Betania, Cauca. Many kids in the area are prevented from accessing school by the armed groups which recruit them at a very young age.

Youngster working in a cabinetmaking workshop as a capacity building activity organised to improve the community's resilience and offer an alternative to the armed groups' recruitment in San Francisco, Valle del Cauca.

Community leader of Las Pavas, one of the most isolated, attacked and institutionally abandoned areas in Cauca.

Little boy sitting by the door of a classroom at the municipal school of Puerto Merizalde, Valle del Cauca. This picture illustrates how children are prevented from attending school due to the armed groups' recruitment that make them become child soldiers, keeping them outside the education system.

The main entrance to Puerto Merizalde, Valle del Cauca, by boat. The inhabitants of the area live in wooden palafitical houses like these ones to avoid floods.

Women from the feminist civil society organization AINI Vereda Primavera, Valle del Cauca, attending a bakery workshop to improve their capacities and be able to provide for their households in a society in which the economy is traditionally managed only by men.

Two little girls from San Francisco, one of the veredas located by the Naya River in Valle del Cauca.

Kid playing outside the municipal school in Puerto Merizalde, the biggest vereda in the Naya area.

Women attending a workshop in natural cosmetics to improve females' access to livelihoods in San Pedro, Valle del Cauca

Women of Betania attending a workshop on good governance.

Two boys watching a contingency plan workshop with the community to be prepared against the armed groups' attacks in Betania, Cauca.

One of the chiefs of the AINI Association who, after the support of Alianza por la Solidaridad, managed to open her own bakery business that works for many different veredas in the Naya basin.

Little boy being carried by his mom in a fuel gallon tank with a piece of rope in Betania, Cauca.

Betania, Cauca. Most of the veredas of the Naya basin are only accessible by boat.

Children making kites with garbage plastic bags in Betania, Cauca.

Yeisson Payán was born in Puerto Merizalde, where he used to own a family business. After a massacre in 2001 he and a great number of people were forcibly displaced to the city of Buenaventura. After some years getting educated and reestablishing his business in the city, he decided to join the humanitarian sector and support his community as a great example of resilience.

Women of Vereda Primavera getting ready for the graduation from the capacity building workshops they attended during several months.