Organización Feminina Popular (OFP) works to defend the human rights of women and to contribute to the promotion of peace and social justice in Colombia. It offers an active resistance to the armed conflict and rejects all types of violence, cultural, social, economic and political.
OFP began life in 1972 in the north-eastern city of Barrancabermeja. It started as a project run by the Catholic Church that sought to confront the subjugation, domestic violence and social injustice faced by women in the region. In 1988, the organisation gained autonomy from the Church and expanded across the Magdalena Medio region. In 1996, the OFP launched a national anti-war movement called The Women’s Social Movement against War and for Peace.
OFP promotes active non-violent resistance based on the principles of autonomy and civility as the means of overcoming the militaristic structures that are commonplace in Colombia. Its work focuses on organisation, training, and grass-roots mobilisation with the aim of enabling the women who form part of the organisation to actively contribute to the creation of alternatives that are needed for peace to emerge.
Areas of Work
The activities carried out by the OFP can be divided into five areas:
- Health: health activities focus on increasing the self-esteem of women, helping women to recognise the value of their bodies, rediscovering traditional medicines, and facilitating professional medical, gynaecological, and psychological attention.
- Food Sovereignty and Security: OFP seeks to offer alternatives to overcome the hunger and malnutrition that is common throughout Colombia. There are six areas of focus: family allotments, a people’s market, a people’s canteen, alternative food production, a food sovereignty observatory, and regular workshops.
- Legal: legal support is offered in response to the needs of women and to enable women themselves to defend their rights.
- Training: OFP has an alternative school for children and a centre for the training of women leaders.
- Productivity: in order to contribute towards the improvement of the lives of women, OFP supports initiatives that enable women to generate a financial income.