Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.
July 26, 2008

New Campaign Aims to Help Hundreds of Thousands of Displaced in Colombia 
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Campaign will use Internet to make public aware of the displacement
crisis 
The UN refugee agency and 10 other partners are launching a nationwide
campaign to help the victims of forced displacement in Colombia. The
campaign will use the Internet to make the public aware of the
displacement crisis and to provide practical information on how it can
help those who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflict.
Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.

       Running for Life logoThe UN refugee agency notes the internal
displacement crisis in Colombia is one of the largest and oldest in the
world. And, for many people, there is no end in sight.

 FARC and other rebel groups have been trying to unseat the government
in Colombia for four decades. The conflict goes on and so does the
displacement.

 Some sources say as many as three million people have been forced to
flee their homes. Many have been displaced several times. Every year,
the UNHCR reports another quarter of a million people are uprooted. 

 Spokeswoman, Jennifer Pagonis says more than half of all displaced
people live below the poverty line. She says they often have difficulty
finding a new home and a reliable source of income. Without these,
displaced people are unable to achieve long-term security and stability.

 Despite their huge numbers, she says many people in the capital, Bogota
and other cities are not even aware of the displaced despite their huge
numbers and miserable conditions of existence. 

 This, she explains, is why the Internet campaign is so important.
"People who also are living in big cities do not know that there are
large numbers of displaced people living on the fringes under some very
precarious circumstances. So, that is a way of bringing this home to
people who may well be in a position to help if they knew actually what
the situation really was. So, it gives them a chance to properly
communicate with displaced people as well who have got access to the
Internet and a part, certainly of the organizations that are trying to
help them," she said. 

 Pagonis says the campaign hopes to reach a wide Internet audience, who
will be interested in taking an active role in addressing this crisis.
She says the campaign aims to get the public and private sectors to join
in efforts to help. It hopes to encourage corporate leaders and
entrepreneurs to take an active role in helping the displaced.

 She says the site offers examples of successful local initiatives and
testimonies from displaced on what they have done to ease their plight.
She says the site has been designed to encourage visitors to participate
in the project by posting their own ideas and suggestions of what works
best.