Child Mortality in La Guajira, Colombia
In La Guajira, Colombia, clean water shortages have fueled a surge of health complications among the region's indigenous Wayuu communities. Well water is testing dangerously high in salinity. Physicians are reporting outbreaks of adverse skin conditions resulting from bathing in stagnant, bacteria-infected ponds. Stream and river water is polluted with waste from nearby coalmine El Cerrejón. Contaminated water sources are causing severe and often fatal intestinal infections i
Drummond Rallies for Public Image
Alabama-based coal mining company Drummond has battled accusations of reckless pollution and human rights abuses since beginning operations in Colombia in 1995. Drummond responded to public opposition and negative press by holding a rally in Santa Marta’s town square on February 13, 2014. The rally was attended almost exclusively by Drummond employees who chanted slogans “Drummond cares about our community!” and “Drummond in our hearts forever!” Speakers (also Drummond employ
Displaced Colombians attend information fair in Cienega
Gloria and Isabel Martinez attend a fair in Cienega, a coastal region of northwestern Colombia. Unidad de Restitucion de Tierras connects victims of armed conflict with lawyers and community organizers. Thousands of land titles and victims reparations claims remain unsettled in the wake of violent conflict in this region. Farmers from remote regions struggle to rebuild their farms, as they wait for road repairs, security, electricity and running water to be reinstated. #armed
