Cauca, Colombia is a region that has been plagued by long-standing conflicts among the government, armed groups, and indigenous communities, fueled by various factors such as land disputes, drug trafficking, and political violence. To address this, the community has created “Co-inspira,” a systemic action research project in Cauca, Colombia, facilitated by Adapt Peacebuilding (Adapt). The project brings together leaders from the Territorial Council for Peace, Coexistence, and Reconciliation (TCPCR) to engage in peacebuilding and acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for positive change in their communities. “Co-inspira” was designed with and for peace councilors, initially in El Tambo, Cauca, but has since expanded to 12 towns across the region.
In 2021, “Co-Inspira” was launched to pilot a systemic action research (SAR) process that would provide TCPCR councilors with a shared understanding of peacebuilding in their communities and inspire them to take action. Volunteer councilors collected real-life stories and developed a systemic map of peacebuilding opportunities. They then selected the most meaningful opportunities and developed a peacebuilding strategy to address them. A peacebuilding strategy involves creating a theory of change and an action plan that aligns with the community’s shared understanding, as identified through the systemic map.
Since then, TCPCR leaders have formed three action research groups, each with a specific focus derived from the previous opportunity analysis. The first group concentrates on women’s empowerment, the second on promoting youth leadership, and the third on protecting water. Each group is now in their second learning cycle, which ends with the refinement of their peacebuilding strategy based on feedback from community members and other research groups. This iterative process ensures that each group’s theory of change and action plan remains aligned with the community’s shared understanding, and that they continue to make progress towards achieving their peacebuilding goals.
The initial pilot process only included one 6-month learning cycle, and the second cycle commenced six months later. During this period, the groups were unable to maintain their research activities due to a significant obstacle in a largely rural town: the inability to meet face-to-face due to a lack of resources. The limited infrastructure in the area prevented the groups from conducting virtual meetings or even group calls. However, the project now has funding to continue for an additional two years, and a new SAR group has been established.
In its second phase, Co-inspira is now training through another SAR group. This new group was chosen with government officials, and in dialogue with TCPCR’s representatives. Four months into the new research, there are 24 researchers spread throughout Cauca. They have already gathered numerous stories and developed a shared understanding of “How to jointly build peace in the department of Cauca?” The councilors have completed a systemic map that graphically represents their collective answer. Now the researchers will show their collective knowledge to their local communities to take action soon.
One of the biggest challenges faced by this group is to create meaningful peacebuilding initiatives in a territory where conflict is intensifying, the local government is in its final year, and the new national government has not yet established a local presence. Furthermore, the lack of infrastructure poses a significant obstacle; the main road connecting the south with the north has been closed for the past four months, making it challenging for the researchers to convene. To attend research training, they have to travel by boat, horse, or on foot, and sometimes, it takes two to three days to reach their destination. While the internet appears to be a long-term solution, for now, the researchers are making significant efforts to keep the process going.
In conclusion, the “Co-inspira” project is a promising and innovative approach to peacebuilding. By empowering local leaders to take action in their communities, the project is having a positive impact not just on peacebuilding, but also on the well-being of participants. As the project expands, it serves as a model for other regions looking to build peace from the ground up.
Cauca, Colombia ha sufrido largos conflictos entre el gobierno, grupos armados y comunidades indígenas, debido a factores como disputas territoriales, tráfico de drogas y violencia política. Para abordar esta situación, la comunidad ha creado el proyecto de investigación-acción-sistémica “Co-inspira” en Cauca, Colombia, facilitado por Adapt Peacebuilding (Adapt). El proyecto reúne a líderes del Consejo Territorial de Paz, Convivencia y Reconciliación (CTPCR) para involucrarse en la construcción de paz y adquirir las habilidades y conocimientos necesarios para un cambio positivo en sus comunidades. El proyecto se diseñó con y para los consejeros de paz, inicialmente en El Tambo, Cauca, pero desde entonces se ha expandido a 12 pueblos de la región.
En 2021, “Co-Inspira” se lanzó como piloto de un proceso de investigación-acción sistémica (SAR) que proporcionaría a los consejeros del CTPCR una comprensión compartida de la construcción de paz en sus comunidades y los inspiraría a tomar medidas. Los consejeros voluntarios recopilaron historias de la vida real y desarrollaron un mapa sistémico de oportunidades para la construcción de paz. Luego seleccionaron las oportunidades más significativas y desarrollaron una estrategia de construcción de paz para abordarlas. Una estrategia de construcción de paz implica crear una teoría del cambio y un plan de acción que se alinee con la comprensión compartida de la comunidad, identificada a través del mapa sistémico.
Desde entonces, los líderes del CTPCR han formado tres grupos de investigación-acción, cada uno con un enfoque específico derivado del análisis previo de oportunidades. El primer grupo se centra en el empoderamiento de las mujeres, el segundo en promover el liderazgo juvenil y el tercero en proteger el agua. Cada grupo está en su segundo ciclo de aprendizaje, que termina con la mejora de su estrategia de construcción de paz en función de los comentarios de los miembros de la comunidad y otros grupos de investigación. Este proceso iterativo garantiza que la teoría del cambio y el plan de acción de cada grupo sigan alineados con la comprensión compartida de la comunidad y que continúen avanzando hacia el logro de sus objetivos de construcción de paz.
El proceso piloto inicial solo incluyó un ciclo de aprendizaje de seis meses, y el segundo ciclo comenzó seis meses después. Durante este período, los grupos no pudieron mantener sus actividades de investigación debido a un obstáculo significativo en una ciudad predominantemente rural: la imposibilidad de reunirse cara a cara debido a la falta de recursos. La infraestructura limitada en la zona impidió que los grupos realizaran reuniones virtuales o incluso llamadas grupales. Sin embargo, el proyecto ahora tiene financiamiento para continuar durante dos años adicionales, y se ha establecido un nuevo grupo de SAR.
En su segunda fase, Co-inspira ahora se está capacitando a través de otro grupo SAR. Este nuevo grupo fue elegido con funcionarios del gobierno y en diálogo con los representantes de TCPCR. Cuatro meses después del nuevo proyecto de investigación, hay 24 investigadores distribuidos por todo el Cauca. Ya han recopilado numerosas historias y han desarrollado una comprensión compartida de “¿Cómo construir conjuntamente la paz en el departamento de Cauca?” Los concejales han completado un mapa sistémico que representa gráficamente su respuesta colectiva. Ahora, los investigadores mostrarán su conocimiento colectivo a sus comunidades locales para tomar medidas pronto.
Uno de los mayores desafíos que enfrenta este grupo es crear iniciativas significativas de construcción de paz en un territorio donde el conflicto se intensifica, el gobierno local está en su último año y el nuevo gobierno nacional aún no ha establecido una presencia local. Además, la falta de infraestructura presenta un obstáculo significativo; la carretera principal que conecta el sur con el norte ha estado cerrada durante los últimos cuatro meses, lo que dificulta la convocatoria de los investigadores. Para asistir a la capacitación de investigación, tienen que viajar en barco, a caballo o a pie, y a veces tarda dos o tres días en llegar a su destino. Aunque internet parece ser una solución a largo plazo, por ahora, los investigadores están haciendo esfuerzos significativos para mantener el proceso en marcha.
En conclusión, el proyecto “Co-inspira” es un enfoque prometedor e innovador para la construcción de paz. Al empoderar a los líderes locales para que tomen medidas en sus comunidades, el proyecto está teniendo un impacto positivo no solo en la construcción de paz, sino también en el bienestar de los participantes. A medida que el proyecto se expande, sirve como modelo para otras regiones que buscan construir la paz desde la base.
Image: Cauca (Bernard Gagnon)
Alejandra Solarte
Alejandra Solarte has vast experience in formulation, implementation, execution and monitoring of plans, programs for social projects. She has worked with state entities, international cooperation, NGOs and civil society organizations. She has centered her work in facilitating organizational processes with methodologies of community participation and social dialogue. She has a Sociology degree from Universidad de Nariño. She also holds a masters degree in Sciences in Rural Sociology from Universidad Autónoma Chapingo in Mexico. She has always been interested in learning the best way to build peace by generating autonomy within communities.
Milton Arteaga
Milton Arteaga has been a consultant in public, private and international cooperation organizations on topics concerning the transformation of human relationships in Colombia for the past ten years. He has participated in the design, research, evaluation, systematization and implementation of projects on peacebuilding and community, teacher training, cultural transformation, education, conflict resolution, negotiation, culture and organizational well-being, collaborative work. He has extensive teaching experience in Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees education. He holds a business degree from University of South Florida and an MBA from Boston University. He also holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Biology from the Matriztica School of Santiago de Chile. He believes in participative, dialogical and systemic approaches, focused on ethical relationships that facilitate recognition, autonomy and trust among people who live in different and equally valid multiverses.
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