For: Margarita Vega y César A. Marín
Nestled in Cauca mountains and 2,700 meters closer to see the stars is the municipality of Totoró. There, the project aimed at strengthening the food sovereignty of three indigenous peoples, through traditional agri-food systems and the implementation of comprehensive reparation measures for families’ victims of armed conflict.
For this initiative, framed in the Territorial Projects for Life and Reconciliation strategy, which benefits 400 families (1,560 people), the Victims Unit contributed nearly $ 2,200 million and the Municipal Government of Totoró, $ 400 million.
In this regard, Dan Harry Sánchez, Cauca territorial director of the Victims Unit, indicates how the project seeks to strengthen food sovereignty through agri-food gardens, in the municipality of Totoró, through three ethnic groups: Nasa, Totoroes and Polindara, trying to compensate and reparation these communities through three schemes: emotional recovery, the seed bank, which seeks to strengthen the traditional foods that these gardens had, and support for integral reparation with food gardens (strengthening of orchards with medicinal plants, as well as the delivery of laying hens and guinea pigs) and eco-environmental burners that do not generate smoke.
The seed bank includes the sowing of tomato, tree tomato, onion, corn and ancestral plants, among other products.
Among the beneficiaries of project is Bernarda Sánchez, a victim residing in Polindara reservation, whom the guerrillas murdered her father 25 years ago. “With the stove, which was the first thing I received, I am very happy, no smoke and I save firewood. In the garden, lulo and the tree tomato are taking off, while the normal tomato I already picked it up”.
In this case, the variety is not only the pleasure, also the economy: “With the hens the issue of eggs has served me for consumption, and with respect to the guinea pigs because the females are now pregnant, and that is good news; already in the part of the animals and crops because it is very good because it guarantees our food sovereignty and one can also market some products”, says Bernarda.
The benefits, she also assures, have surpassed the limits of economy: “The project has been a great help especially for me in the psychological part, because I left that anger and resentment towards those who murdered my father”.
Another beneficiary is Blanca Lida Masagüel. “I’ve done very well with the project. With the chickens it has been interesting because the eggs are used for the consumption of family and also to sell them in the market place of Popayán, and with that money I buy the corn to feed the layers. With regard to guinea pigs and crops, I also continue forward, and I am grateful for the Unit for Victims and the Mayor of Totoró”, she says.
On the emotional component, Pierre Luigi Casamachín, governor of Polindara people, ponders its scope: “With psychological accompaniment, victims also feel accompanied by each of the institutions responsible for the issue”.
María Rosalba Sánchez, also a beneficiary of project, thanks the incorporation into the project by the entities that made it a reality and the technical assistance received for the planting of crops. Of the seven guinea pigs that she was given, she already has 14, and expresses a recognition of emotional support: “the psychological part helped me a lot because I managed to get rid of that pain I had because I was a victim of war”.
Something similar thinks Lucrecia Sánchez Conejo, another survivor of conflict. “I am very grateful especially for the part of the psychosocial support, because I managed to get ahead and I got that hatred from my heart and I forgive those who hurt us. Also grateful for the technical assistance provided to us for the care of crops and plants”.
In short, Casamachín says that “the project has been favorable for us as authorities and also for families. I think that from this articulated work between the national government, the municipal mayor and victims, a real integral reparation can be made that will not be to the satisfaction of 100% of community, but that does have an impact on a large part of families and on economic difficulties, social and psychological problems generated by armed conflict”.
Finally, Hilario Sánchez, mayor of Totoró, assures that the project is a very interesting model in which the national government, through the Victims Unit, placed some resources and that “the important thing is that between municipality and nation we have made progress in serving about 400 families in a historic way in our municipality”. In this way, this alliance allows Totoró, “the golden gate of eastern Cauca”, to open to hope and prosperity.
