In Colombia, the department of Chocó has a long history of insecurity, limited access to health and few sustainable economic alternatives. To address these issues, PASO Colombia has partnered with the cooperative COOVIDECUJI and the women's association ASOMUJIGUA to establish the Escuela Rural Alternativa (ERA) Carmen del Darién . The COOVIDECUJI cooperative was created with the help of the Greater Community Council of the Jiguamiandó River Basin, to support the reincorporation of 29 ex-combatants; while the women's association ASOMUJIGUA has 53 participants. This ERA has a 5-hectare plot of land donated by the Greater Community Council. Together, the COOVIDECUJI cooperative and the ASOMUJIGUA women's association will establish a community garden where they will recover their traditional knowledge to preserve and cultivate medicinal plants. These herbs will be used to develop health and personal care products that can be commercially distributed locally and nationally.
The ERA Carmen del Darién has the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) , the Agency for Reintegration and Normalization (ARN) , the National Apprenticeship Service (SENA) and the ECOMÚN cooperative.
