Interview With A Returned Peace Brigades International Volunteer - Colombia, Part 2

By Kate | Permalink | No Comments | March 23rd, 2007 | Trackback

What’s a typical PBI day?
A typical day in PBI is easy to describe: there isn’t one! The work varies hugely depending on which of PBI Colombia’s four teams you’re working with, and even then there are always elements of the unpredictable to make you think on your feet. In the Urabá team, you either work in the office or accompany out in one of the rural communities we accompany. So, in the office you start the day with a team meeting (all decisions are taken by consensus, so that’s how we divide up the day’s work), and then spend the rest of the day either answering emails, arranging meetings with the local military or civilian authorities, and communicating with colleagues in the field to make sure everything’s peaceful.

When there’s a trip to plan, there are a lot of phone calls to make, checking that there are no military operations in the area, that it seems safe enough to travel, and then alerting the authorities of our route so they know exactly where we’re going to be.

In the communities, life is completely different. You usually wake up at around 6am, when everyone else walks past your wooden house shouting “good morning!” on their way to work in the fields. It’s really hot by about 9am, so everything moves a bit slower – you might spend time visiting community members, washing clothes in the river, playing with the children, or having a meeting with the community leaders to make sure their security situation remains stable. We call back to the office every night on a satellite phone, to let them know that everything’s quiet.

It can be hard to get used to at first – obviously the climate and language are different, and the political situation too. It’s really difficult to accept that the people you’re accompanying are living in situations of such high risk, and it can be really hard work on an emotional level. Colombia is an extremely dangerous place to be a human rights defender, and the people we accompany are incredibly brave, because they know the risks and carry on anyway.

Read the final part of June’s interview: some memorable moments and coming home. See the first part of her interview here.

To find out more about PBI, check out the Volunteer Logue Profile of PBI or the PBI site itself.

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