The violence in Colombia, linked to drug trafficking, has broken loose particularly in Uraba-Antioquia, a banana-growing area in the north-west of the country where two armed paramilitary groups and guerillas are very active. The local population is both marginalized and poor. In 1995, more than 170 people lost their lives.

The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) has funded a project for ECU 600 000 to help those affected. The target group consists of 20 000 people in the municipality of Apartado, who are receiving health assistance, and 2 500 mothers and children who are receiving food aid.

The Asociación Navarra Nuevo Futuro, a Spanish NGO on the ground, is ECHO's partner in this scheme.