As part of the Global Fe y Alegría Movement, Fe y Alegría Colombia has joined the invitation extended by several Latin American organizations including: el Programa Centralidad de la Niñez, the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), World Vision Latin America, Caritas Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Inter-American Confederation of Catholic Education, to participate in “La Caminata Huellas de Ternura”.

This initiative which runs through different countries from Mexico to Patagonia, seeks to raise awareness in favor of the defense of life and non-violence towards all children, especially those in the most vulnerable sectors, so that all feel committed to their care and the defense of their rights.

In Colombia, the walk began on February 4th and will extend until the 20th, beginning in the city of Cúcuta and ending in Ipiales where it will be handed off to neighboring Ecuador.

This event comes at a crucial moment in which Colombia is seen as a country with alarming figures of violence towards children, which is evidenced for example in 64 cases of child sexual abuse per day, according to data for 2018. Based on this reality, it is essential that we gain awareness of the situation, and take actions that counteract this and other types of violence that permanently impact the integrity of our children.

Colombia is living a difficult situation in terms of peace agreements and their implementation, in which new outbreaks of violence are beginning to resurface, especially in some areas of the country. Here, children are again exposed to situations of displacement, exclusion, lack of adequate nutrition, insufficient health care and education.

Fe y Alegría, given its mission and in its desire to build a world where all are welcome, in justice and equity, strives to guarantee quality and inclusive education for children and young people from the most vulnerable sectors of the population. From this point of view, it is committed to education as a means in which people empower themselves and transform situations that generate exclusion and undermine the dignity of all people.

To learn more about this initiative, visit Fe y Alegría Colombia’s website.