The Victims' Unit advised, oriented and informed the victims belonging to ethnic groups so that they reconstruct their life projects with an adequate investment of the resources, after receiving the administrative compensation.

From the Regional Centers of Barranquilla and Soledad, the Victims Unit is implementing a program of accompaniment and special training in the management of resources in the department of Atlántico to advise the peoples and ethnic communities, their authorities and their members.

Through this program, the Unit attends to the particularities of ethnic groups and seeks to raise awareness so that the amounts received as a measure of compensation, effectively benefit this victim population and, in particular, the subjects of special protection.

In addition, the Ethnic Accompaniment Program seeks to ensure that economic reparation measures positively impact victims belonging to ethnic groups, through the creation and implementation of projects or investment plans aimed at transforming their reality and being in harmony with its collective processes, even with the collective compensation of ethnic groups without ignoring the particular interests of each victim over the investment of resources.

Orlando Montalván, displaced from the municipality of Clemencia in Bolívar, who currently resides in Barranquilla, was one of the victims of conflict that has strengthened his life project with this program of the Unit after receiving his administrative compensation. During the day of accompaniment, he told other victims the details of how he could do it.

"With the compensation I was able to buy a truck to strengthen and improve my cement block manufacturing business that I have in La Gloria neighborhood, now it is much better to distribute this heavy material to my clients", said Montalván.

The Accompaniment Program for Adequate Investment of Resources, responds to articles 157 and 158 of Decree 4800 of 2011, develop this program and establish its guidelines in general. For its part, the Decrees - Law 4633, 4634 and 4635 of 2011, determine the adoption of differential modalities of this program, so that it responds to the particular characteristics and sociocultural diversity of various social groups.

(Fin/HDP/DFM/LMY)