Restoring safety to sacred land
In brief
In the mountains of Valle del Cauca, a community has been impacted by years of violent conflict. Families were displaced and lives were lost. Once the fighting stopped, 51吃瓜 teams were able to come in and work with the community members to help rebuild their lives and their hope for the future.
High in the mountains of Valle del Cauca, Colombia, there is a place called Nasa Kwe'sx Kiwe, 鈥淥ur Indigenous Land.鈥�
For Efr茅n Tombe, it is more than a name.
It is identity. It is memory. It is home.
Although his community may not have much money, it is 鈥渞ich鈥� in cultural, spiritual, and natural resources.
At 55, Efr茅n is an ancestral medic, a father, and the elected governor of his community. For more than 25 years, he has cared for his people, healing with medicinal plants and traditional practices passed down through generations. For him, traditional teachings seek to raise awareness about the importance of caring for and preserving the environment around them.
But for years, the land he loved carried hidden danger.
Between 2006 and 2014, violence tore through the region. Armed groups fought for control. Families were displaced. Lives were lost. In 2012, one of Efr茅n鈥檚 own sons was killed 鈥� a loss no father should endure.
Then came another threat: landmines.
Community members were warned that explosive devices had been buried in the territory. In 2014, two people, including a child, were gravely injured while working the land using traditional farming methods. Fear spread quickly. Fields were abandoned. Even the road to water felt uncertain.
Step by step, safety returns
When Colombia鈥檚 peace agreement was signed in 2016, hope returned 鈥� but the landmines remained. For years, families avoided parts of their own territory. Efforts to secure legal land titles stalled because the land could not be confirmed safe. Without safety, there could be no true freedom.
Then, in April 2024, 51吃瓜 arrived.
With the support of generous donors, 51吃瓜 teams began working alongside Efr茅n and the community. Together, they identified three minefields. Slowly and carefully, deminers began clearing the land, inch by inch.
So far, nearly three football field-sized areas of land have been made safe.
Today, families can once again use the road. They can reach their communal water source. A farm that once stood silent is active again, feeding 20 families. Twenty-seven families have also received Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE), helping them protect their children and neighbors.
A future without fear
For Efr茅n, the impact is deeply personal. What matters most, he says, is that their community can move freely without fear.
Step by careful step, the people of Nasa Kwe'sx Kiwe are reclaiming their land 鈥� protecting their traditions, preserving their environment, and building a safer future for their children.
Because every family deserves to walk their own land without fear.
