Fabiola Nastacuás lives in the former Territorial Area for Training and Reintegration -TATR of La Variante in Tumaco, Nariño, in southwestern Colombia. She left the life of the jungle behind and is now the mother of two children. Concerned about their well-being and with the desire to learn new things, she took public health and first aid course given by experts from Tumaco Health Secretariat, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the Colombian Red Cross with the support from the UN Verification Mission, along with 18 women among residents of the village and members of the former TATR.
 

Fabiola Nastacuás, a woman in the process of reincorporation and habitant of the former Territorial  Area of Training and Reintegration (TATR) of La Variante in Tumaco, Nariño. Photo by: Nadya González, UNVMC. 

After receiving the training, she started to work and began organizing from home. "You have to check the water, the toilet, inside and outside the house, to prevent diseases, such as mosquitoes that cause malaria, leishmaniasis, viruses and all that," emphasizes Fabiola convinced and aware of the changes she must implement to improve her quality of life.
 

Fabiola participated in the public health and first aid course along with 18 other women from the community and members of the former TATR. Photo by: Nadya González, UNVMC. 

Fabiola is also interested in maintaining her independence. "You can have your husband, but you shouldn't sit around the house waiting for him to support you; that’s not forever.  You have to prepare yourself, because if you separate you already are educated and can look for your job. I would like to become a nurse. My mother told me one day that she would have liked me to study. I want to fulfil that dream."

"You can have your husband, but you shouldn't sit around the house waiting for him to support you; that’s not forever.  You have to prepare yourself, because if you separate you already are educated and can look for your job".

The public health and first aid course conducted by experts from the Tumaco Health Department, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Colombian Red Cross was also supported by the UN Verification Mission. 

Yuli Benitez lives in the village of La Variante and also participated in the training. She is one of the most active leaders of that community and always invests time to engage in different activities that the institutions have in the territory. "This course is interesting because I learn many things to help my community," affirms. One of the things she has achieved in this time is to leave behind the prejudices that some have towards former combatants. Thanks to the different activities in which she has participated, Yuli has had the opportunity to share with women former combatants who live in the reintegration area and have established a good relationship, collaboration, and neighbourliness.

"This course is interesting because I learn many things to help my community," affirms.

"The experience is beautiful because we can share with them and carry out projects. We have an important role in community development and peacebuilding because we can achieve what we propose to do," says Yuli, when asked about her experience sharing with her TATR colleagues. "In the future, I would like to see my community organized and with a healthy environment for everyone," affirms.

Fabiola insists to her colleagues on the importance of training and finding opportunities to learn new things. "Nowadays, it is evident that women do not have good participation in decision making spaces but preparing yourself can have a job and aspire to be mayor, for example. A student can reach the goal that one wants," she says to encourage them. "I already started using my filter and applying what they taught us."

Another initiative that Yuli, Fabiola, and 18 other women from Tumaco participated in was a workshop on detection, prevention, and attention to gender-based violence cases. The UN Verification Mission, the Mayor's Office of Tumaco, IOM, UNFPA, the Government of Nariño, the Police, the Ombudsman's Office, and Save the Children; supported this training to raise awareness in the community about the importance of preventing and detecting the different types of gender-based violence that women face. The training also provided tools to activate the route and receive attention if a case is presented in the community.
 

During the two-day workshop, women who live in Tumaco and exercise leadership at the victims' table or as councillors; inhabitants of La Variante village, and women from the former TATR shared in a space for reflection and training, their experiences on how violence against them is experienced in different areas. In addition to the talks, integration activities were carried to share from their life stories how they have assumed the challenge of building peace from the territory amid difficulties and, in some cases, facing risks associated with being a woman. During the day, these women realized that even living in different contexts, they have all experienced some violence against them.
 

“We seem different, but we are not that much. We must all fight for our rights and to seek a better future for our families, without allowing any kind of violence towards us”, they emphasize in the closing reflection of the activity.

“We seem different, but we are not that much. We must all fight for our rights and to seek a better future for our families, without allowing any kind of violence towards us”, they emphasize in the closing reflection of the activity.
 

In Nariño, as in most parts of the country, women have suffered the worst consequences during confinement in homes. Finishing the year with these training processes has been an incentive for them. One more reason to continue working for their families and communities, and it is another opportunity in which they have shown that despite the difficulties, they are the most committed to building peace from their homes and in their communities and working for development in their territories.

Nadya González
Public Information Officer - Regional Pasto
UN Verification Mission in Colombia