To carry out these interventions, the women were trained by SENA, where they acquired skills related to civil works.
Photo: Courtesy
In the rural area of Tumaco (Nariño), a new bridge was inaugurated that was built by a group of 28 women and 4 young men who are part of the Alto Mira and Frontera Community Council. This work, which is already in operation, benefits more than two thousand families with better levels of security, fluidity and well-being for the community.
About 12 meters long and 6 meters wide, it is the first work of this magnitude built by a group composed mainly of women in Colombia. With this milestone, the bridge also allows the connection of the urban area of Tumaco with seven villages in the area: La Honda, La Balsa, Vayan Viendo, Brisas, Alto Pañambi, Unión Victoria and Tiesteria.
This construction was carried out within the framework of the PDET Routes Program, which is financed by the European Peace Fund of the European Union in Colombia and which is implemented by the National Network of Local Development Agencies of Colombia (Red Adelco), Conexión ICCO Cooperación and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. These processes are carried out with the support of the Territory Renewal Agency of the National Government.
With works like this, the Program hopes to reach an investment of more than 17 billion pesos in infrastructure works, working together with the communities, and achieve its goal of 180 road improvement projects in the country.
A female leadership
Before the construction of the bridge, cross the Pusbi ravine It was a risky act. Given the lack of infrastructure in the sector, the community had built in previous years a wooden bridge over which children crossed to go to school, ambulances with the sick, vehicles with agricultural products and the inhabitants of the area in general. Although the wooden structure fulfilled its task, it was susceptible to the weather and did not provide safety conditions at night or optimal mobility conditions.
Inauguration of the bridge in Tumaco.
Photo: Courtesy PDET Routes
To change this situation from the PDET Routes Program, in alliance with the Community Action Boards (JAC), the decision was made to carry out infrastructure work to improve the living conditions of the communities. With the help of Program engineers, the designs were made and the necessary materials for construction were purchased with the JAC.
On this basis, the construction began with the participation of a group of women and young people who, during several months of sun and rain, carried out tasks such as driving piles, reinforcing iron and casting concrete plates, among other activities related to the construction site. However, the women who were part of the work were forced to face not only the physical challenges of the work, but also the negative comments that are ingrained against women in rural areas, much more so in the area of infrastructure where the woman has always been stigmatized.
“Many men told us that we were not going to be able to, because that was not a woman’s thing. But today, with God’s blessing and our courage, we were able to deliver this work for the benefit of the community,” explains Yajaira Valencia, who participated in the work.
To carry out these interventions, the women were trained by SENA, where they acquired skills related to civil works. This training provided them with new knowledge, as well as, in the end, new work experience. To this were added workshops that sought to promote gender equity in the communities, through a gender professional hired by the PDET Routes Program.
“In general, in the PDET Routes Program we have committed to equity in the territories, showing all the capabilities that women have. In the case of the work, the same engineers told us how they have advantages over men by being more responsible, planning resources better and, among other things, being more punctual with their shifts. “Which showed, to their communities, their added value in this type of projects,” explains Nayibe Rojas, coordinator of the PDET Routes Program in Tumaco.
And he adds: “The important thing about these works and the PDET Routes program is to give opportunities to community organizations, particularly those ethnic communities, such as a community council, providing installed capacity, so that they can continue implementing works, which is an of the bets National government. For women, in addition, with the training and practice process, the possibility opens up for them to become master builders or even, later, project engineers.”
With the construction of the bridge, for its part, the transportation of people has been improved, as well as of products in an area of high cocoa productivity, which can now reach the collection centers more easily.
“This work represents a very great opportunity for us to promote our territory, particularly agriculture. We are only grateful to the Program for giving us the tools to move our territory forward,” says Diana Cortes, one of the women who participated in the work and a beneficiary of the PDET Routes Program.
What’s coming
“Our main focus is to change the dynamics by offering real possibilities to women. For this reason, we are committed to ensuring that in our projects there is a minimum of 40% participation of women in the infrastructure works in which we are pioneers,” explains John Castañeda, manager of the PDET Routes Program. “They have shown everything they are capable of, not with strength, but with their intelligence. “That’s something historic.”
For the moment, it is expected that during the next semester there will be three other road infrastructure works in the municipality of Tumaco. One of them is another, more complex bridge over the La Honda ravine, which will have the participation of women from the territory.
It is worth mentioning that the model implemented by the PDET Routes Program, which will reach its closing year in 2024, is being considered by the National Government as a reference for the development of models with a territorial approach, taking advantage of the lessons learned during its implementation. This acquires significant relevance in the face of COP16, where new strategies will be sought to address the challenges of the climate change and sustainable development. The fundamental essence of the Program lies in empowering communities, giving them confidence in their own development and highlighting their ability to generate significant changes in their territories.
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