Fundación Antonio Restrepo Barco is a nongovernmental organization dedicated to the promotion of fundamental rights and social development in Colombia, particularly in the areas of youth and childhood, the family, health, education, social participation and improvement of the conditions of displaced and vulnerable populations lacking resources. With the support of USIP, the Fundación developed a model psycho-social treatment program for 100 ex-combatants. Three professional counselors trained a group of thirty ex-combatants from the Caribbean coastal region in strategies to assist in their own social reintegration and to train them as peer counselors. After eighty hours of training, these individuals worked with seventy more ex-combatants, sharing their newly acquired knowledge and skills. This pilot program provided an opportunity to assess and refine the training and peer counseling process based on participants' feedback.

Background

The reinsertion of ex-combatants into civilian society is a key element in constructing peace and stability in Colombia. Providing psycho-social support to demobilized fighters is essential to any reinsertion strategy. The national disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) program provides some benefits for ex-combatants, but psychosocial treatments are few and vary considerably in approach and quality. There is a need to develop common standards and increase the availability of such programs.

Activities

This project, which ended in 2009:

• Developed a new strategy to be included in a model psycho-social treatment program for 100 ex-combatants
• Trained a group of thirty ex-combatants from the Caribbean coastal region in strategies to assist in their own social reintegration and trained them as peer counselors
• Supervised these ex-combatant as they trained seventy more ex-combatants, sharing their newly acquired knowledge and skills
• Provided an opportunity to assess and refine the training and peer counseling process based on participants' feedback
• Improved and made more systematic the delivery of psycho-social support services to ex-combatants, and complemented national and local DDR initiatives provided by governmental and non-governmental agencies.

PROJECT DIRECTOR(S): Mario Gómez Jiménez, mariogomez@funrestrepobarco.org.co Margarita Martinez, mmartinez@funrestrepobarco.org.co,  Antonio Restrepo Barco Foundation (Fundación Antonio Restrepo Barco), Bogotá, Colombia

Explore Further

• Read about a Roundtable co-sponsored by USIP, the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue, and the Esquel Group.
• Countries & Continents: Colombia