Participant reflections: Belle Garcia: A peacebuilder’s journey: Some reflections on the Colombia Trip

Conciliation Resources coordinated an exchange between peace practitioners from Colombia and the Philippines in 2010.  After the visits, the participants wrote papers about the experience and possible ways forward in the struggle for peace.

Belle Garcia, a Filipino participant, wrote a poem entitled A Peacebuilder’s Journey: Some Reflections on the Colombia Trip.  The poem expresses her thoughts about her time in Colombia.  She describes, for example, the women she met and her impressions of the military personnel she saw.  

She also comments on the need for more recognition of local peace processes and for sustainability.