Ilumina Colombia (Light Up Colombia)
Summary
In 2024, Heartland Alliance International and SoLight Design committed to implement Light Up Colombia, a three-phase pilot and research study to evaluate the impact of collapsible solar lanterns on existing community-based humanitarian response efforts in 10 rural Colombian communities. The lack of basic electrical infrastructure and lighting in rural communities hinders education, livelihoods, and can exacerbate safety risks, especially for vulnerable groups such as women and children. Light Up Colombia will create safer environments for women and girls, prioritize their mental health and psychosocial well-being, and reduce risks associated with gender-based violence. Protracted conflict and migration have severely affected vulnerable communities, particularly Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities, and resulted in an influx of migrants and asylum-seekers from Venezuela, causing additional pressure on humanitarian needs. Over the next three years, this commitment will document and share evidence-based findings and strategies to improve humanitarian response in Colombia and Latin America.
Approach
HAI and SoLight Design commit to implementing Light Up Colombia, a three-phase pilot and research study which will evaluate the impact of collapsible solar lanterns (SolarPuffs) to existing community-based humanitarian response efforts among 10 rural Colombian communities and 100 families in urban/peri-urban settings. Light Up Colombia will document and share evidence-based findings and strategies to improve humanitarian response in Colombia and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) .
Phase One: Initial Assessment: HAI will conduct a comprehensive needs assessment to understand the most impactful use of solar light amid five communities impacted by humanitarian emergencies.
Phase Two: Pilot and Monitoring: Based on the results, HAI will distribute SolarPuffs and provide needs-based capacity strengthening to support communities to use lights to enhance:
Community-Based Risk Prevention and Mitigation Plans: Lights may be used in vulnerable areas to deter armed groups from approaching, reduce the incidence of Gender Based Violence, improve evacuation measures, prevent community buildings (schools, community centers) from being used for illicit activities led by armed actors, among others.
Safe Environments and Community Development: Lights may be used in parks, squares, playgrounds, and/or community spaces to foster a sense of social cohesion and security.
Livelihoods Activities: Lights may be used to improve the recovery of livelihoods in the aftermath of humanitarian emergencies, including fishing, aquaculture, mollusk harvesting, weaving, among others.
Other: Local communities may find alternate and more impactful usages.
Phase Three: Scale-Up, Expansion, and Evaluation: HAI will scale and expand the intervention to five additional communities experiencing humanitarian emergencies and 100 families in urban/peri-urban settings, monitor and document utilization and evaluate the impact of the lights on perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness. HAI will collate and share findings, offering an improved understanding among the humanitarian community of links between solar lighting and humanitarian response.
Action Plan
Oct 2024 – Nov 2024: Phase One Launch
Hold structured partnership conversations with key local, regional, and global contacts serving Colombian communities impacted by humanitarian emergencies.
Design needs assessment.
Dec 2024 – Mar 2025: Phase One Needs Assessment
Conduct comprehensive needs assessment with five communities on Colombia’s pacific coast
Disseminate needs assessment findings with key stakeholders.
Apr 2025 -Jun 2025: Phase Two Launch
Design research methodology to assess perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness, including pre- and post- evaluation methodologies. This may include surveys, semi-structured interview questions, and focus group discussions.
Distribute SolarPuffs.
Develop tailored training and co-design capacity strengthening processes with communities.
Jul 2025 – Aug 2026: Phase Two Pilot and Monitoring
Conduct pre-assessment of perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness.
Implement tailored training and capacity strengthening (40 representatives of community associations x 5 communities = 200 direct participants) on using lights to enhance community-based risk prevention and mitigation plans, safe environments and community development, livelihood activities, among others.
Monitor and document utilization of lights.
Conduct post-assessment of perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness.
Sep 2026 – Oct 2026: Phase Three Launch
Evaluate findings, develop scale-up.
Nov 2026 – Sep 2027: Scale-Up, Expansion, and Evaluation
Conduct pre-assessment of perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness.
Scale-up tailored training and capacity strengthening (40 representatives of community associations x 5 communities) on using lights to enhance community-based risk prevention and mitigation plans, safe environments and community development, livelihoods activities, among others.
Expand intervention to urban/peri-urban settings (100 families x 3 individuals per family) = 500 direct participants.
Monitor and document utilization of lights.
Conduct post-assessment of perceptions of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness.
Final evaluation.
Share findings to support learning and use widely with the GOC, stakeholders, multilateral organizations, and/or other INGOs.
Background
Despite Colombia experiencing significant developmental gains over the past decade, including the 2016 Peace Accord between the Government of Colombia (GOC) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) , armed conflict in rural and remote areas persists and humanitarian needs are on the rise. Additionally, 2.8 million vulnerable refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers have arrived in Colombia from Venezuela since 2018, placing increasing pressure on the GOC to provide humanitarian response. Protracted conflict and migration have severely affected vulnerable communities, particularly Afro-Colombian and Indigenous communities who have historically faced social exclusion and suffered from violence, such as forced displacement, confinement, conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) , among other victimizing events. Afro-Colombian and Indigenous survivors of extreme trauma continue to struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse, among other issues, significantly impacting the social fabric and traditional belief systems of their communities. Rural communities are often in areas with a complete lack of State presence and have very basic infrastructure, including limited access to running water or electricity. The lack of electrical lighting hinders education, livelihoods, and overall quality of life, and can exacerbate safety risks and heighten anxiety, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly. For the past decade, Heartland Alliance International (HAI) has implemented rights-based programming in Colombia that enables vulnerable communities to build resilience amid humanitarian crises. This includes co-constructing community-based risk prevention and mitigation plans, providing mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) , access to livelihoods, and food security, among other interventions. When combined with access to solar lighting, the impact of these interventions could significantly increase, resulting in an improved sense of safety, security, wellbeing, and preparedness among communities experiencing humanitarian crises and offering important lessons learned to key stakeholders involved in humanitarian response efforts.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
HAI seeks 1) additional financial resources for project implementation; 2) media support to widely share our groundbreaking mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and humanitarian response work in Colombia; and 3) academic and/or research partners., HAI offers 1) its community-based protection models; 2) technical expertise in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence, among other technical areas and relationships and trust built with rural communities over +15 years of experience on Colombia’s pacific coast; 3) existing project logistical and operational support financed by USAID’s Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) ; and 4) initial funding support from the Lohengrin Foundation. SoLight Design offers 1) production of SolarPuffs at cost. Additionally, upon the completion of the project, HAI will broadly share the findings of our research.