AJODENIU is a non-profit community organisation founded in 2002, based in Quibdó, Chocó. It was founded by and is still run by young people who are displaced because of the armed conflict, originally from different municipalities in Chocó and Urabá Antioqueño. Its origins date back to the late 1990s, when the armed conflict resulted in a massive displacement to the regional capital Quibdó. Many families initially settled in Quibdó’s covered coliseum and were subsequently relocated to peripheral neighbourhoods such as Villa España and Cascorva.
Since then, AJODENIU has focused its work in Comuna 1 of Quibdó, an area marked by high levels of structural poverty, social exclusion and rights violations. There, it accompanies more than 300 Afro-Colombian, indigenous and mestizo children, adolescents and young people – between the ages of 6 and 17 – and their families, creating spaces of protection, training and community accompaniment.
AJODENIU´s main objective is to contribute to the well-being and restoration of human rights through economic, political, educational, social and cultural activities. Its mission is to create safe spaces that strengthen the human, social, cultural and sporting capacities of children and young people, promoting the improvement of their quality of life, that of their families and their environment.
One of its most used strategies is called ¡Vení Jugá! It is a community intervention strategy that combines games, music, dance and sport with training and active listening processes. The initiative seeks to strengthen the socio-emotional skills of children, adolescents and young people, and contribute to the construction of their life projects. The project was funded by the International Olympic Committee and implemented by UNHCR and Opción Legal.
The AJODENIU team is made up of facilitators with community experience, committed to the defence of human rights and a dignified life for the youth of Chocó.
Website: https://ajodeniu.org/
Social media:
Facebook: AJODENIU