PROJECTS AND CAMPAIGNS

Espacio Bristol Colombia has several different projects currenty running, many of which need your support to keep going. Please see the links below for full details:

PEN PAL PROTECTION PLAN
Twin with a Colombian citizen under threat in the oil-producing region of Casanare, where BP has been a major player since the early 1990s.

BP AND OIL EXPLORATION
In the mid-1990s, BP's links to human rights violations in Colombia were the subject of a lot of media attention. Today the violence against civilians continues, and Espacio members have been working with local social organisations to document the social impact of oil exploration.

COMICS ANTHOLOGY
A collaborative project between both European and Colombian writers and artists, Espacio is producing a graphic novel anthology of many true but little-known stories from Colombia, to raise awareness, build creative links, showcase Colombian talent and raise money for our solidarity work.

AGRO-FUELS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Espacio members have been accompanying communities affected by agro-fuel monocultures and researching their impact. Agrofuels (also known as biofuels) have tended to be imposed on the countryside by means of violence and displacement because of the potential profit they represent for corporations.

SOLIDARITY AND ACCOMPANIMENT IN COLOMBIA
A key part of Espacio's work is to spend time with "grassroots" social organisations and communities in Colombia, getting involved in their activities, supporting their work and providing a protective international presence to deter the army and paramilitaries from interfering.

TRANSLATION TEAM
Most of the information available on Colombia is in Spanish. Espacio's translation team help raise awareness and provide resources for well-informed solidarity work. We are always looking for volunteers!

STATE TERROR IN COLOMBIAN UNIVERSITIES - JUSTICE FOR JHONNY SILVA
In 2005, members of Espacio were present at a peaceful student protest during which 22 year-old Jhonny Silva was shot dead by the police. We have since been involved in writing a research report on the situation in Colombian universities, and continue campaigning for Jhonny's killers to be brought to justice.

FILMS AND VIDEOS
Film and video is getting cheaper and easier to do all the time, and it's a very powerful tool for raising awareness in people. Espacio members and friends of Espacio have been making films in an effort to help expose corruption and injustice, and to help humanise the suffering. You can find them here.

COCA-COLA
An international boycott of Coca-Cola was called by the Colombian food-workers union in 2003 in response to the murders of unionised workers at Coca-Cola bottling plants across Colombia.