Young Voices, Shared Vision: Colombia & the U.S. Unite for Change

In 2022, the Children Against Mines Program (CHAMPS) was launched in Colombia. CHAMPS helps youth learn about and become part of the solution to the devastating impact landmines continue to cause for communities around the world. Since the launch of CHAMPS Colombia in 2022, the Marshall Legacy Institute (MLI) has worked in partnership with the Colombian Campaign Against Landmines (CCCM), a nationally accredited organization with extensive experience in mine action programs. Together, we’ve identified and supported some of the most mine-affected communities in Colombia, promoting awareness and encouraging action around this critical issue.

Ever since CHAMPS Colombia began, students in landmine-affected communities and their peers in the United States have connected to learn from one another, explore the landmine issue, and take action. Now, for the first time in Colombia, CHAMPS is connecting a private urban school - Gimnasio Femenino, a girls' school in Bogotá - with a rural school in one of the country's most mine-impacted areas - Divino Niño, located in Puerto Caicedo, Putumayo. Together, in partnership with U.S. CHAMPS students from Glenelg Country School in Maryland, these three schools are building bridges of understanding and solidarity.

Together, these students from three unique schools in three very different locations are raising their voices to address the humanitarian impact of landmines. Most recently, they collaborated in recognition of the International Mine Awareness Day on April 4th. The students created posters and visual messages reflecting their unique understanding of the pain, danger, and injustice caused by landmines.

Through their creative work, the students called attention to the land mine issue, spread awareness, and participated in the "Lend a Leg" campaign—rolling up one pant leg or wearing a colorful sock to show solidarity with landmine survivors and people with disabilities.

One particularly moving slogan, created by students at Divino Niño in Putumayo, read: “In lands without landmines, Colombia strides.” This poetic phrase captures the spirit of CHAMPS: a vision of progress, where safety and peace allow communities to grow and children to dream without fear.

Although not directly affected by landmines in Bogotá, students from Gimnasio Femenino stood in solidarity with their peers in rural areas. They created messages of hope, support, and resistance, calling for peace and urging an end to the violence that has harmed so many of their peers.

Meanwhile, students at Glenelg Country School, far from the reality of landmines, used their voices to stand with Colombia and others affected around the world. They raised awareness not only for the sake of information but to show compassion and advocate for a safer, more inclusive future.

Through CHAMPS, students are not only learning about global challenges—they are becoming part of the solution. This powerful exchange deepens the students' appreciation for each other's cultures and underscores the value of international collaboration.

We can't wait to see where the CHAMPS journey will take us next! Follow along as CHAMPS Colombia works to inspire more young people to cross cultural lines to become part of a future mine-free world.