Here we go again...

A little more than three years ago, when I was still fairly new in my job as Mennonite Central Committee Manitoba refugee program coordinator, I went on a learning tour with my six MCC refugee network colleagues to Colombia.  One of the things that helped me process the experience was to spend some time, usually at the end of each day, trying to write a blog entry.

This summer we in MCC started planning another trip there.

In preparation for my trip there this week, I have been looking back at what I wrote on this blog three years ago. It reminded me what an important part of my experience this was, so I plan to pick up this blog where I left off back then.


A number of things will be different this time:

• I will have only two travelling companions from Canada this time.  Ed Wiebe, who is MCC Canada's refugee program coordinator has many years of experience working with refugees from all over the world.  We will travel together from here in Winnipeg.  In Bogota, we will meet our colleague Orlando Vasquez, who is Program Director for MCC Alberta.  He is currently travelling in Central America on other MCC business. 
• In addition to travelling to Colombia to learn about Internally Displaced Colombians, we will also be travelling to Ecuador to learn about Colombian refugees in Quito.
• A major difference has to do with the Canadian immigration regulator changes which will mean that Colombians will no longer be able apply for immigration under the "Source Country Class" of Canada's refugee program.  That is the main reason for this trip: to think together with MCC staff there and Mennonite Churches who have been working with IDPs and refugees about the way forward.

What has not changed is that Colombians are still being displaced by conflict.  

I invite you to follow me on this journey as I try and make sense of what I am seeing and hearing.

Here we are at a restaurant three years ago on in the beautiful city of Catagena.  Ed Wiebe is on the left, that's me in the middle (obscuring our Ontario colleague Moses Moni), Elaine Harder (Saskatchewan) and Orlando Vasquez.  No tropical weather this time!