Colombia: Faith, finance and resilience

ORGANISATION
Nariño Joven

LOCATION
Ancuya, Nariño, Colombia

When the skies turned dark

Elders say that the Virgin of the Visitation walks through the hills of Ancuya when the sky turns dark – her mantle brushing the wet earth, leaving flowers where fear once grew. In the long winter of 2022, when relentless rain flooded fields and tore apart roads, many felt her presence moving through the mist.

That year, heavy rains and overflowing rivers threatened to wash away homes, crops, and livelihoods. The town faced repeated flooding, landslides, and infrastructure collapse. Yet amid the storm, the community’s unshakable belief that “Ancuya will not fall” became a source of strength.

Youth turn faith into early action

The youth of the town were first to act. Children and adolescents organised themselves to monitor rivers and mountain streams, creating community early warning systems using radios, cell phones, and flashlights.

“Every message, every signal, became a prayer in motion,” residents said – a reflection of how faith and method intertwined. These early warning systems allowed families to evacuate in time and protect essential assets.

Women lead with care and solidarity

Women played a critical role during the floods, providing care and support to those most affected. They cooked for displaced families, wove blankets for children, and ensured that food and aid reached the vulnerable.

Farmers and bakers contributed supplies, creating a network of solidarity that reinforced collective resilience. Community donations – voluntary contributions of time, money, and resources – became a vital complement to emergency measures.

Financing preparedness: Every peso a seed

A key factor enabling this rapid and coordinated response was prior investment in disaster risk reduction. Thanks to local planning and dedicated funds, the community had access to resources for training, communication tools, and preparedness measures.

“Every peso became a seed. Every investment, a root,” explained one local coordinator, highlighting how targeted financing translated into practical, lifesaving interventions.

Faith meets finance: Turning prevention into practice

The combination of faith, solidarity, and finance ensured that disaster prevention was not theoretical. Funds supported training, enabled maintenance of early warning systems, and allowed for rapid mobilisation during floods.

Participatory management ensured that investments reached the right places, empowering both youth and adults to protect lives and property. Through the storm, funding became a tool, and faith became strength.

The Virgin walks beside them

As the community worked to keep the town standing, the Virgin of the Visitation moved quietly among them – her presence woven into every act of care and courage.

“She walks with us, she covers us with her mantle, she teaches us that to resist is also to pray,” said one resident.

When the sun finally broke through the clouds, Ancuya stood — bruised but unbroken. Floods had damaged land and roads, but the town’s early action systems, community solidarity, and DRR investments safeguarded lives and livelihoods.

Outcome

• Community early warning systems enabled timely evacuation and protection of lives and assets
• DRR financing ensured tools, training, and preparedness measures were in place before disasters struck
• Youth, women, and farmers actively participated in disaster response, strengthening social cohesion
• Lives were saved, economic losses reduced, and long-term resilience improved

Key lesson: Where faith and action meet

This experience shows that combining local financing, participatory planning, and community-led early warning systems creates a durable, culturally grounded approach to disaster risk reduction.

In Ancuya, knowledge, faith, and resources joined to prevent catastrophe and strengthen social resilience.

So in the mountains of Nariño, when someone asks if Ancuya will endure, a voice always answers:

“Ancuya will not fall.

Because its people rise.

Because the Virgin walks beside them.

Because where there is faith, action, and solidarity… the earth will never surrender.”

This International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, GNDR calls for governments, donors, the private sector and financial institutions to prioritise funding for resilience, not just funding for disasters when they strike.

All photos: Nariño Joven