The Unit for the Victims delivered construction materials worth of $462 million COP for these two prevention and community infrastructure projects.

The most affected population by the armed conflict in the municipalities of Anori and Vigia del Fuerte will have two "Victims' Houses" for shelter in case of humanitarian emergencies, as well as to improve their care and reparation.

For the construction of these two social and community infrastructure projects, the Unit for the Victims delivered construction materials worth of $462 million COP this month; to these, there will be a resources addition from local mayors’ offices and workforce.

This is one of the most anticipated projects to respond to the victims’ needs and compensate for the damage caused by the violence, which victimized more than 7,000 people in Anori according to leader Nestor Torres.

As the Victims Participation Board Coordinator, he explained: “It is a very large project in case people have to leave their territory for some reason, so they may have a temporary shelter where they can be treated during the first months of their emergencies, such as forced displacement.”

It will be called the Armed Conflict Victims Integral Care House Hector Emilio Piedrahita Correa, in honor of the former Mayor killed in 1998.

Along with these representatives and the Mayor's Office, there was an agreement to build rooms with public services, a community kitchen, and a play area for children. In addition, an office for the operation of the Victims Participation Board. In a later stage, expansion is foreseen for a Historical Memory Hall.

In addition to this work, Torres acknowledges reparation measures such as economic compensation, psychosocial care, and agricultural projects support for peasants by the Unit for the Victims.

Meanwhile, in Vigia del Fuerte, which has nearly 4,300 victims, priority was also given to improve the social room, where people who suffer victimizing acts will receive adequate care. In total, 51 tons of construction materials were delivered with a 230 million COP investment.

Prevention and Non-repetition

During the 2018-2021 Government period, 58 community and agricultural projects have been supported in 31 Antioquia’s municipalities for the emergencies’ prevention and attention, benefiting nearly 50,000 people.

These include sports courts, community halls, small roads, agricultural endowments to peasants and urban and rural schools’ provisions.

According to the Unit for the Victims’ Antioquia’s Territorial Director, Wilson Cordoba: “With these works, care is improved, and reparation measures are also fulfilled, like non-repetition guarantees for the victimizing acts, as well as vulnerability reduction for these municipalities victims’ population, which has been deeply affected by violence.”

The entity has invested more than 17,000 million COP to compensate the damage caused by the violence in Anori and Vigia del Fuerte. In total, more than 15 billion COP have been allocated in Colombia (3.39 in Antioquia) for this population’s integral reparation.

(End/JCM/COG/RAM)