HELP Commission

Below is the text of an email that JTP sent to family regarding a trip that he helped out on a few months ago:

I don’t usually like to send preachy or bragging emails, but I wanted to drop you a few paragraphs about what I did last weekend. There was a visit from the HELP Commission (www.helpcommission.gov) where I was asked to act as their control officer. Basically, my job was to set up, schedule and monitor their five day visit. We were able to do a number of interesting things that I think you might be interested in. Hopefully it will also give you an idea of what your government is doing in the world.As you might know, Colombia is one of the world’s foremost flower producing countries. Colombia provides over 50% of the flowers that are sold in the US and the flower industry creates about 200,000 jobs in the US. What you might not know is that USAID is involved in helping the farmers and their employees. We visited a farm that is staffed by displaced people (Colombia has one of the highest rates of internally displaced people in the world and the flower industry employs many of them). While we were there, the people who work for the farm told us how grateful they are for what is going on and how their lives are being improved. We also spoke with people who had come from outside of Bogotá to work at the farm. The one person who really impressed me was the man whose village had been burnt down by the FARC. After the village was burned, he and his family moved to another village where his brother was killed by an illegally armed group. Finally, he was able to make it to Bogotá where he is making a new life for himself.On Saturday we went to southern Colombia (aka FARClandia). We went to an airfield where the US Government runs coca spraying operations. We talked with the pilots who fly at treetop level at 170mph spraying coca as they go. We learned about how they get shot at, have to avoid wires put up by local “farmers” and have to jump up to avoid tall trees. From there, we were off to a hearts of palm factory that is sponsored by USAID. We found out that the local farmers were being aided in farming legitimate crops instead of drugs. We also saw their processing and learned about their business plan. While there, the head of our security detail (about 40 Colombian army and national police officers) told me that if we were to go four kilometers down the road, we would be in “serious no man’s land” and the FARC would be all over us.Finally, on Monday we visited two schools that are sponsored by USAID and Shakira’s foundation (www.fundacionpiesdescalzos.com/english/index.php ). The schools were up on a mountain (where by the way it was freezing and raining). The kids were all poor, but they were grateful to be going to school and learning a trade or craft. Then we were off to a “Justice House” were different government and NGO groups help provide community justice. Finally, to round off our day, we went to a factory (also sponsored by USAID, as well as Microsoft) that employs victims of Colombia’s ongoing civil war. We met people who had been injured by landmines and gunfire as well as war widows. All of them are receiving training that will help them have better lives. The highlight of this part was that I interpreted a conversation between two visitors and two demobilized members of the FARC (one who joined up at 14).I think that one of the Colombian military officers who hosted us at an event summed it up the best when he said, “Because of your country there are less Colombians who are killed. There are less Colombians who are kidnapped. Because of your country, Colombia is a safer place. Colombia is your country, too.”