The voices of reconciliation echoing from Arauca

On October 13th, the 'Rural Women's Hall' was inaugurated, a place built by the signatories of peace and given to the community as an act of reconciliation. In the opening event, a delegation, along with peace signatories, UN Women, UNICEF, the Agency for Reincorporation and Normalization (ARN), the National Council for Reincorporation (CNR), the United Nations Multidonor Peace Fund, and Limpal, toured Villa Paz - Reincorporation and Territorialization Space (ETCR) - and the Laureles II hamlet in Arauca.

Mural inside the 'Rural Women's Hall' in the Laureles II hamlet, Arauca.

Children run through the streets of the houses built in the Filipinas Territorial Training and Reintegration Space (ETCR), better known as Villa Paz, in Arauca. The murals adorning the facades, painted by peace signatories, proclaim loudly: "Colombia's destiny cannot be war." At the same time, in the Cultural House, the community gathers with a delegation consisting of representatives from UN Women, UNICEF, ARN, CNR, and LIMPAL to discuss the importance of care and self-care in peacebuilding.

These topics have been worked on for several months as part of the project "Care for Peace. We are for life." During this initial part of the day, participants were invited to share their experiences and actions aimed at strengthening care networks in their communities.

One of the people present, Alinton García, expressed in the space, "We, the peace signatories, are committed to the entire process, to care-related issues, and to spreading our message that war is not the solution. We have lived through it, and we speak from experience".

Simultaneously, in the village of Filipinas, a Service Fair was taking place where young people were involved in issues related to the prevention of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and masculinities, and other organizations provided health services.

Peace signatory during the inaugural ceremony of the 'Rural Women's Hall' in Laureles II.

Around noon, residents of Laureles II welcomed the delegation that arrived to accompany the inauguration of the 'Rural Women's Hall'. With barbecue, sancocho, and balloons, they awaited the opening of the place built by the peace signatories and given to the women of the community to contribute to reconciliation and prevent stigmatization. This has been an initiative that seeks to provide comprehensive care, recognize the different factors that involve caregiving, and offer women safe spaces to develop their life projects equitably and autonomously. As part of the implementation process of the 'Care for Peace' project, efforts have been made to involve the community with the peace signatories in the construction of the Community Care Plan, a way to organize their collective processes and strengthen the foundation for caregiving in rural territories. It's also a political initiative to provide a foundation for men and women who raise their voices and tell society, "we are caregivers of peace", as expressed by several of the attendees.

Mayerli Becerra Muñoz, a peace signatory, was in charge of the handover ceremony, where she expressed: "Today, the women in the reintegration process want to donate this hall to the women of Laureles II. We have been stigmatized, and this hamlet was the only one that accepted our invitation; they were the only ones who came to our ETCR. Because of that, we decided to leave this donation here, to continue telling them that we should work together".

In turn, the rural women delegated Mildred Bohórquez to represent the Community Action Board and the Women's Committee of Laureles II, comprised of 35 women from the hamlet. In the letter she read to the attendees, she highlighted that the creation of this hall for women represents several things, including: "This is a place for the care of everyone; a place that allows us women to leave our homes and engage in other activities, such as studying, taking care of our health, dialoguing, and building a community where the voice of us women has value, a community where it is not believed that the role of women is only in the kitchen and household chores".

Appreciation was extended to the project and all the agendas, organizations, and entities that have supported the process. "We would like to extend our special thanks to the Villa Paz community and the female peace signatories, the reintegration process, the Multi-Donor Fund for Sustaining Peace, ONU Mujeres, UNICEF, CNR, ARN, and the Juntos Construyendo Futuro and LIMPAL teams. This rural women's hall will be a safe space for care and shelter for all women who want to come and build a peace community".

The 'Rural Women's Hall' is available to the community as a space for reconciliation and non-stigmatization. The peace signatories of Villa Paz and the hamlet of Laureles invite all people, municipal and departmental entities and institutions, and anyone interested to use, take advantage of, and strengthen this place, which benefits all the women in the area.