Colombia: For ALL Women and Girls: Sandra Patricia Aguilar Carabalí Believes that Women’s Leadership is Key to Protecting Colombia’s Environment and Peace

Jan 22, 2025 | UN Women
View Original

“Environmental sustainability is essential for lasting peace in Cauca, because the territory and its natural resources are the heart of our identity and survival,” says Sandra Patricia Aguilar Carabalí.

As president of the Cauca Department Youth Network (REDEJOCA), she trains and empowers women and youth to protect and restore the rivers that indigenous communities of northern Cauca, Colombia, depend on. The Quinamayó, Palo, and Desbaratado rivers flow into one of Colombia’s most important waterways, the Cauca River, a lifeline for millions of people. The rivers have suffered years of environmental degradation because of industrial waste, pollution, conflict, and lack of waste management.

“Today many homes do not have drinking water,” shares Aguilar Carabalí. Diseases have spread among the communities relying on these rivers.