Quibdó, 12 February 2018

I have a strange sensation.

You must have heard that the ELN guerrillas have declared an armed strike in Chocó. From time to time they like to show how powerful they are and spread terror. Because of the armed strike, the organisations that work here have decided to remove their employees. ‘Recall them’, is the expression they use. Others have temporarily cancelled all trips here, ‘for safety reasons’.

I completely understand. I think it’s the right thing to do. However, I have to admit that I sense the separation on my skin, an abandonment of sorts. The worse everything gets, the more alone we are. It’s as if some lives are worth more than others. The ones that are worth the most deserve to be protected, and are taken to safety, and prevented from coming to places that might put them at risk. But we don’t have anywhere else to go. We stay here, left to our fate.

We’ve also had to do something similar. This weekend we couldn’t go to the reading clubs in El Futuro, La Platina and Ciudadela MIA. It was very painful. But you have to drive on the main roads to get there. The saddest part is that what I feel in relation to people from international organisations or public institutions, the children will feel, in a way, in relation to us. To a very different extent, of course. Motete is still open, and we’re not far away. But there are some things you just can’t change.

We carry on, determined, convinced of the importance of being here. Trying to feel that being together is enough.

Your hug reached me and I’m sending another one back.

Vel