In Colombia and other Latin American countries, girls’ 15th birthdays are traditionally celebrated with a large family party, as this age represents the transition for many families between childhood and adolescence, between being a girl and being a woman.

However, Fundación La Paz sees this age as a period full of challenges for many adolescent girls, especially those living in the most remote rural areas of Chocó, who have to live in a hostile environment with armed groups and for whom there are hardly any opportunities for education and access to information. Therefore, questions about their changing bodies, their sexuality, their basic rights as women and ethnic minorities or about adequate planning for the future remain unanswered and can lead to undesirable scenarios such as early pregnancies, dropping out of school, domestic violence, etc.

The project “Quinceanera empoderada” accompanies 240 adolescent girls in rural areas of the Chocó for one year.  The students participate once a month in workshops on topics such as self-esteem, sexual and reproductive rights, leadership skills, human rights, environmental protection and more. The workshops take place in the schools of the rural communities and are conducted by the teachers of the schools during class time. During the vacations, students from the CASA HOGAR La Paz residence reinforce the teachers, bringing their skills back to their own communities.

Both the teachers and the female students receive the necessary training to provide the students with the appropriate knowledge.

At the end of the process, the female students are able to celebrate their traditional 15th birthday with their families in a joint celebration. This celebration is a tradition for most young women in Colombia, but unfortunately most poor families in Chocó cannot afford it. Therefore, as part of this project, this event is an important tool for motivation for the entire community.

We sincerely congratulate Fundación La Paz for their determination and tireless work, which has allowed them – with the support of CASA HOGAR – to obtain international funding for the first time, from the Canadian Embassy in Colombia. For this we thank the Embassy of Canada in Colombia and at the same time the BeA Foundation for their support in the implementation of this project.