Beth Kuntz, a junior and Spanish Education major at Bluffton University from Covington, Ohio, traveled to Colombia on Wednesday, July 14, as part of a delegation sponsored by Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).
Based in the oil-refining city of Barrancabermeja, the delegation will visit and support the Colombian Women's Social Movement Against War and for Peace.
"We, as women, do not give birth nor raise children for the war," say the members of the Popular Women's Organization (OFP), one of the 40 organizations in the movement, which opposes the militarization of Colombia.
Delegates will also meet with human rights workers and church leaders in Bogota and travel to a rural community. The delegation -- consisting of six people from across the U.S. and Canada -- hopes to gain a better understanding of the situation in Colombia and the effects of US and Canadian policy.
Kuntz returns on Tuesday, July 27, ready to share what she has learned about the challenges facing the people, particularly the women, of Colombia.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an ecumenical initiative that sends teams of trained peacemakers to places of conflict around the world. CPT Colombia has had a continuing presence in the Magdelena Medio region since May 2001, and accompanies communities and organizations that are struggling non-violently to create peace with justice, and to resist economic violence and imperialism.
For more information about CPT contact the Chicago office at 773-376-0550; email: [email protected].
