Dear friend,
Farmer, nurse, community leader. Libia Armida Paz is a woman of many talents — and fierce commitment to helping her Indigenous community thrive.
Libia Armida Paz, 57, coffee farmer and Indigenous community activist in Colombia.
As Mercy Corps’ Global Content Producer, I was fortunate to meet Libia during a trip to Colombia last year. She lives in La Sierra on the El Oso reserve, a village home to the Indigenous Yanakona people. Much of this region is heavily affected by conflict and violence. And as the impacts of climate change accelerate, local communities must find new, sustainable paths forward.
In the face of these challenges, Libia is helping lead the way to a brighter, more equal future. She’s built a career out of helping those around her, and in doing so has defied expectations to learn farming, put herself through nursing school, start a coffee business, join the local government, and ultimately become her village’s first woman governor.
Libia speaks with Mercy Corps team member Yaneth Rodríguez (left, red shirt). The training has helped Libia grow her coffee business (pictured drying coffee beans on her farm).
Libia has worked closely with Mercy Corps’ gender and economic development program, which helps more than 1,800 women receive training in small business and agriculture. The program also provides financial management to ensure that women have economic security — with a particular focus on land titling, since acquiring formal land rights is a critical step for families to increase their agricultural productivity and build healthier communities.
Libia believes that it’s crucial to engage young people to see the impact they can make in their home region of Cauca while caring for their land. She has raised three children in Cauca, who are now raising their own families there, too. She understands deeply why they must protect their land for future generations.
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"As Indigenous people, we are very connected to our land and our region. That’s our whole purpose, that is our essence, that’s how we think.... It’s important to protect our land because that’s our water, our environment, our health, our food: the most essential things to human life. That’s true wealth."
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LIBIA, COLOMBIA
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The generosity of the Mercy Corps community helps people like Libia in communities around the globe as they adapt to the impacts of climate change and other urgent challenges.
Today, will you consider starting a monthly contribution to support extraordinary leaders like Libia throughout the year ahead? Join our Partners In Possibility community.
Thanks for taking a few moments to meet Libia. She’s an inspiration for all of us at Mercy Corps, and we hope she’s inspired you, too.
Sincerely,
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Gabrielle Cohen
Global Content Producer
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Gabrielle works to bring Mercy Corps’ impact to life by interviewing program participants around the world and documenting people’s stories of challenge — and change — in 40+ countries.
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