RFK Center and Delegation Find Poor Infrastructure in Colombia’s Indigenous Schools

Following the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights delegation to Cali, Colombia, in April 2011, the RFK Center participated in a new delegation in early September to the indigenous Nasa reservations of Honduras and Cerro Tijeras in Valle de Cauca, Colombia. Delegation members included RFK Center Advocacy Director Marselha Goncalves Margerin, Colombian lawyer Camilo Castillo, law student Julia Copping of the Cornell Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic, and statisticians Jana Asher and Michael Kisielewski of StatAid, a Maryland-based nonprofit statistical consulting organization. 1998 RFK Human Rights Laureate Berenice Celeyta of NOMADESC led the delegation along with graduate students from Universidad del Valle, Cali.

The indigenous community elders and guards accompanied and hosted the delegation, which visited eight schools on the Cerro Tijeras and Honduras reservations. Confirming what interviewees reported in April, the delegation observed poor infrastructure. Many buildings are in disrepair, and the number of desks, chairs, and computers is insufficient to serve the students. Classrooms also are frequently without electricity.

School

Traveling in the territories is made difficult by the rivers, lack of roads and bridges, and steep terrain. Many children sleep on school floors to avoid making an arduous daily journey that can take up to six hours a day.  In 1986, the Colombia government built the dam of Salvajina near the Honduras reservation, which incited protests in the community. In response, the Colombian government established an agreement and promised to build roads, bridges, hospitals, and schools. However, to date, these promises have not been fulfilled.

Walk to School

The community demands that the government fulfill its obligations under the Colombian Constitution, international law, and under the 1986 Agreement. The community also calls for autonomy and resources to teach classes in the indigenous Nasa language and to teach Nasa culture and traditions. The RFK Center will work with statisticians and local lawyers to advance these claims in domestic and international courts.

Salvajina