Since 2012, more than 31,000 people affected by the armed conflict in Antioquia have benefited from psychosocial processes and emotional recovery strategies.

Love at first sight. This has been the story of Alicia Duque and Fernando Aguirre, victims of  armed conflict who lost one of their 8 children during the armed conflict in Algeria (Antioquia). After 61 years of being together, and surviving violence and hardships, their love remains intact.

That story of falling in love "with just one look" until getting married and forming a large family from Antioquia was related by the wife as part of the exercises of the new Comprehensive Reparation Strategy with Rights Approach "Siembra", in which this couple participated in, from a group of 60 victims who shared their life stories and resilience to better themselves.

During three days, through a group workshop methodology coordinated by the psychosocial team of the Victims Unit, Alicia and Fernando learned to deal with the emotional damage of the death of their son, who was one of the most appreciated mayors of Algeria.

The strategy is taking the participants in a playful way with staging, storytelling, and crafts. The objective is not only the handling of experiences of suffering that have passed, but the recognition of emotional damages caused in the personal, family and community history by the victimizing facts that they suffered, strengthening their capacities and resilience. "These activities helped us a lot, sharing experiences with other people who also suffered very painful losses during the violence", said Alicia in one of the days.

For Martha Suescún, victim of displacement of the municipality of Cáceres, who also participated in this workshop, "these spaces are important because they allow us to know each other and from this we can reconcile ourselves; additionally, we learn that not everything in life is money, there are other ways to feel repaired and understand that victims have rights, but we also have some duties".

According to the director of the Victims Unit in Antioquia, Wilson Cordoba Mena, with this strategy "it is intended to mitigate the impact caused to people by the victimizing events they suffered, so that they have psychological conditions with which they can reconstruct their life projects and have a family and social life. This is part of their integral repair. "

The official also stressed that this psychosocial process allows reestablishing links among people from the same community, "helping to rebuild the social fabric damaged by violence".

Since 2012, more than 31,000 people affected by armed conflict in Antioquia have benefited from psychosocial processes and emotional recovery strategies.

(FIN/SMC/DRR)