that must understand this phenomenon through negative experience but now are generating conscience about adaptation and immediate action.

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1 Abstract In a world full of distressing scenes because of the effects of Climate Change, the Colombian Red Cross starts to give hope for vulnerable communities that must understand this phenomenon through negative experience but now are generating conscience about adaptation and immediate action. Resumen En un mundo de panoramas desalentadores por efectos del cambio climatico, la Cruz Roja Colombiana empieza abrir ventanas de esperanza para comunidades vulnerables que han tenido que entender el fenómeno a través de experiencias negativas, pero que generan una conciencia de adaptación y acción inmediata.

2 More than 8 years ago the Colombian Red Cross identified the issue of climate change as a priority and positioned it within its strategic planning for new projects and programs to address the issue and carry out activities related to awareness raising, adaptation and risk reduction in vulnerable communities. We hope to translate the scientific message to a community message. We want to clarify the relationship between climate change and natural disasters, create institutional alliances and influence the global by acting at the local level. The first accomplishment related to this topic and the subject of this report, was the project executed in La Guajira, a department in the Caribbean region of Colombia. The challenge there was to work with the indigenous communities and establish relationships with communities in order to explain that climate change isn t simply an issue of unplugging appliances, using rechargeable batteries or planting trees. Instead, it is something much deeper that they immersed as they are in an environment that experiences extreme drought and flooding must be prepared, organized and trained for so that they are equipped to confront new climatic phenomena. El escenario The department of La Guajira covers 20,848 km2 and is located 1,121 km in northern Colombia and is divided into Upper, Middle and Lower regions, as defined by rivers, valleys, estuaries, and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The average temperature in the department varies between 27 and 30 with a maximum of 45. It is the driest region of the country, with vegetation cover composed of spiny bushes and cactus. The Wayuu are the predominant cultural group and speak Wayuunaiki (the official language of La Guajira together with Spanish). They make up more than 40% of the total population.

3 The reality In their first communication to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Colombian Institute for Hydrology, Meterology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) predicted that this area of the country is highly vulnerable and suseptible to sea level rise, desertification, drought, tropical storms, hurricanes, and other phenomena that require that the population be prepared. In 2006, the Colombian Red Cross, with funding from the Netherlands Red Cross which is their principal donor on climate issues, selected La Guajira as the first department to be beneficiary of a project on awareness raising, adapation, and risk reduction. The Project Once the Colombian and Netherlands Red Cross decided to prioritize this area of the country, they began to conduct trainings and build capacity within the Guajira Chapter. Staff and volunteers took on the challenge of being the first to develop this type of project and led the way with creativity, changing habits, public awareness, and building the inter-institutional network that allowed them to broaden the impact of their actions. Thanks to the imagination of the team of project volunteers, they created the Nature Show. This is a musical puppet theatre which introduced the idea of the a league of Friends of the Earth. This story is based on real events; in it Mother Earth becomes very sick, so Doctor Climate, a Red Cross volunteer named Ecologito, and the community together look for solutions to make her feel better. Since the creation of the characters to the present, the Friends of the Earth show has evolved and been shown in various settings and countries. In Nicaragua, for example, it was adapted to the local context and uses community awareness raising tools. The project started in 2006 thanks to financing from the Netherlands Lottery Nationale Postcode Loterij which allowed four Guajira municipalities (Riohacha, Fonseca, Maicao, and Villanueva) to receive materials and training on climate change, develop community risk management plans, install an early warning system, and coordinate with local organizations and the National System for Disaster Prevention and Response. All these activities have strengthened the Guajira Chapter, which is now a leader on this topic.

4 New project, new opportunities: La Guajira, repeat. After a year ( ) of hard work and good results, the Netherlands Red Cross, now with funding from the Dutch Foreign Relations Ministry, decided to undertake a new project to strengthen the Colombian Red Cross capacity for response, risk reduction, and adaptation capacity related to climate change. The project was to benefit the Magdalena and Guajira chapters in order to consolidate prior achievements and seek to ensure sustainability of previous actions. The new project covered three major areas of work: 1) national level work to strengthen alliances between institutions and build the reputation of the Red Cross as a leader on climate changes issues, as well as designing recreational education tools; 2) workshops in Guajira and Magdalena for community leaders, teachers, students and the communities, as well as early warning systems, adaptation microprojects, and provision of supplies for emergency response, among other efforts; and 3) strengthening of the Red Cross as an institution through preparation of its staff and providing technology to respond to emergencies. Adaptation microproject in La Guajira: First community resettled due to climate change effects The Guajira Red Cross Chapter is in its second consecutive year working on climate change and has been successful in acheving continuity with partners linked to varous project activities. These partners met periodly, attended events and trainings, exchange knowledge and participated in development of the Departmental Roundtable on Climate Change which, eventually, will become the Monitoring and Evaluation Committee for the first project involving resettling a community due to climate change. A new opportunity for San Tropel The municipality of El Pajaro, in the San Tropel sector of Guajira, was selected by the Red Cross for the first climate change adaptation project, being carried out thanks to support from Corpoguajira, the Mayor of Manaure, the Governor of Guajira, the Local Committee for Disaster Response and Prevention, the Port Capitan, Chevron, and the community who were fully committed to the project and contributed their labour in the hopes of achieving a better quality of life.

5 Travelling to San Tropel is like going on an offroad race and not just any car can make the trip. Visible far from the road were small homes, colourful Wayuu fabrics, and shirtless men carrying metal buckets on their shoulders. Once in the community, after we waved at those who smiled at us, the community greeted us and came to ask us for news. The smell of salt is strong and mixes with the fish innards in the buckets, the floor, or hanging up. These are what remains of the days production or are awaiting sale to small merchants who come to the area. The penetrating odour soon dissipates with the force of the wind, which blows off some of the red caps worn by members of the project team. Chasing after the caps draws timid laughs from the children and women watching the foreign arrivals. Wayuu culture is patriarchal. The women work in the home and raise children. Children attend primary and high school at the San Rafael Ethoeducational School which is the closest in the area. Once completing these grades children become members of the community; there are no advanced studies. Fishing is the primary subsistence activity in this community and is done by men. According to inhabitants, catches have decreased significantly in recent years. Residents conduct two types of fishing. Fishermen on the open sea leave at 8pm and return at 8am. Fishing closer to shore begins at 5am and ends at 3pm. Catch includes sierra, carita, and red snapper which is sold to small merchants who come from Riohacha. Days in the community pass calmly. The quiet is broken only during Carnival, the parties held in October to celebrate San Rafael, the patron saint, or when residents play the drums to scare away nightmares that a member of the com-

6 munity has had. La Llorona (the weeper) sometimes appears and announces deaths to come. Marriages are also important events that include exchange of money, goats, cattle, and gold necklaces. The routine of the community was altered when it was hit by Hurricane Joan in 1988, an event community members remember as if it were yesterday. Then, in 2006, the Yusuru Lake overflowed its banks and the San Tropel sector was partially destroyed. The Wuayuu community in the area was greatly affected and had to improvise shelter to protect themselves form the sun, rain, and wind. Three years after this tragedy, they continue to live houses built during the emergency. They are small structures made of wood poles and put together with nails, ropes, bottle caps, and other debris. This situation, together with problems of coastal erosion, lack of drinking water, strong winds, and the incursion of the sea onto the land caused the Red Cross to decide to carry out a project which has benefited 169 people through the reconstruction and resettling of 20 houses. This will improve quality of life and provide opportunities to be more prepared in the face of climate change. The project and the Red Cross La Guajira Chapter The development of this project was an opportunity for the local project team; they received institutional recognition and became a reference point for environmental issues, established a thematic roundtable, designed emergency plans with the community, put the creativity of their volunteers to the test, and integrated the topic of climate change into people s daily lives. Now after two years of work, they give an hour every day to the planet, shutting down the air conditioning at noon and through the end of the day, as a tangible contribution to the initiatives we should all support. The implementation of the Early Warning System on the banks of the Villanueva River in the Community of Villa del Rio was another highlight. Through this unconventional system, they decreased the whole community s vulnerability to floods. The system is based on buoys and was built with the community, which ensured local coordination for its operation. The implementation of the Early Warning System was also made possible through the agreement with the University of la Guajira that allowed an environmental engineering student, Alvaro Mercado, to work with the program. He developed the idea and provided follow-up throughout the process.

7 The Houses Through a participatory planning workshop, the needs of the San Tropel sector were prioritized. It was concluded that relocation of the community was the best option. This would be done through construction of 20 strategically located homes that corresponded with Wayuu traditions and were constructed with community support. Building homes was the first step of many The houses are not yet ready and their inauguration depends on final contributions from each partner. The community remains very committed and is donating their labour, however, the project is waiting for more materials to finish construction so that beneficiaries can finally move into healthier, more dignified living conditions. The water and electricity are also an imminent need. The project must find means for the communities to have access to these resources. Currently, beneficiaries walk 1 km to reach the closest aqueduct, using mules to carry back as many barrels of drinking water as possible. For construction, bathrooms, and other needs the community continues to use the dirty water that reaches the community through a pipe. The community is connected to the world through battery-operated radios and single battery operated TV. The waste disposal situation also requires attention. Currently, a landfill that receive waste is only a few steps away from the community, however, Corpoguajira only helps them clean it out three times each year. However, the strong winds blow trash out of the landfill, making San Tropel dirty and increasing the incidence of serious respiratory diseases, flu, and diarrhoea among other illnesses. The project is just beginning and there are many opportunities to join in and make San Tropel into a place that, while small, has the ability to meet residents current needs. A partner could link to the project by installing electric lines or building a simple football field.

8 Learning from climate change work in La Guajira Although our local team is now closing the project, they are preparing to search for more agreements and alliances to ensure the sustainability of the activities already completed. In addition, they identified 6 key lessons learnt as suggestions for other chapters who wish to work on this topic: 1. Carry out a diagnostic of the beneficiary community beforehand: Historic records, information from specialized institutions, and surveying the community allows one to better understand the impacts of climate change and effective actions to respond to the phenomenon. 2. Joint management of the climate change adaptation microproject: the community, local authorities and experts should work together to identify opportunities and possible responses related to climate impacts. 3. Training the project implementing team: the people carrying out the project should have training so that they can provide scientific information in language appropriate to the community and take advantage of this knowledge to identify opportunities. 4. Alliances and inter-institutional agreements: Unions provide strength. Each partner provides valuable contributions that increase the impact of the results. 5. Involve the community in designing strategies: The project should come from them and be for them and with them. 6. Community leaders and native people as intermediaries for the strategy: The project should interface continually with leaders and understand their expectations and dynamics in order to work with the community. The Colombian Red Cross hopes to continue implementing projects that allow us to ways to confront the problem and prepare communities for climate change impacts. We will work with other partners who wish to join us and support risk reduction and become part of our club of friends of the earth.