FROM CITY TO COUNTRY, JUNGLE TO DESERT
Across Colombia, people are designing powerful solutions that help connect their communities to sexual and reproductive health services.
10 journalists from across Latin America took a 10-day journey to uncover the diversity & innovation being led by Colombia. Jump to the city below.
SPOTLIGHT
Luisa Fenanda Orozco, reporting for El Espectador, introduces us to the complexities of accessing SRHR in part of Colombia, and the solutions that two midwives are leading on.
El Espectador | 3.9.2025 - Giving birth in the jungle and desert: Midwives saving lives in Nariño and La Guajira
Bogotá Is Ready to Welcome the Global SRHR Community to ICFP 2025!
- Carolina Deik, First Lady of Bogotá
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The FPNN Colombia Reporting Trip began and concluded in Bogotá, the dynamic capital where ICFP 2025 will soon bring together thousands of SRHR researchers, advocates, and professionals from across the globe. Journalists kicked off this 10-day trip with an official tour, exploring the city’s history and its role as a hub for health, human rights, and journalism.
This year marks a historic milestone—the first time ICFP will be held in LAC, a region known for its powerful civil society and youth movements. Colombia itself has been a leader, from landmark rulings on abortion rights to strong youth advocacy and the enduring work of organizations like our partners and co-hosts.
Bogota, Colombia
Colombia itself has been a leader, from landmark rulings on abortion rights to strong youth advocacy and the enduring work of organizations like our partners and co-hosts.
Cali, Colombia
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS DRIVE HEALTH EQUITY
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Cali, Colombia — As part of the Family Planning News Network (FPNN) Colombia Reporting Trip, ICFP 2025 co-host Fundación Valle del Liliwelcomed our team of FPNN journalists from across Latin America & the Caribbean (LAC) to Cali—the country’s third-largest city by population, home to roughly 2.3 million people and widely known as the salsa music capital of the world.
A private, non-profit institution, Fundación Valle del Lili is known for its high-quality medical services, research, and education. Over the years, it has become a benchmark for combining clinical excellence with community-focused initiatives, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) programs.
From obstetrics and neonatal care to pediatrics, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health, the initiative has shown a steadfast commitment to strengthening the healthcare workforce and improving service delivery.
WHERE RIVERS, RYTHM & RESILIENCE
SHAPE SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
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Guapi, Colombia— Nestled on the banks of the Guapi River along Colombia’s Pacific coast, the town of Guapi is more than a geographical point. It is a vibrant, proud Afro-descendant community where ancestral knowledge, music, and resilience flow as naturally as the river that defines it.
Our Family Planning News Network (FPNN) reporting trip across Colombia brought us to Guapi. The journey began with a small plane flight over lush mangroves and jungle before descending into the town. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that culture, community, and health are deeply intertwined. Marimba music and the sounds of daily life—fishing, mining, and artisanal trade—filled the air. The pride Guapireños hold for their town, and for upholding each other’s health and rights, was palpable.
Guapi, Colombia
I am a lifesaver, Doris says.
I consider myself a lifesaver.
Read about Doris,
by Natalia de León Tello
Aracataca, Colombia
LOCAL
EDUCATORS, YOUNG PEOPLE
& FAMILIES
LEAD SRHR TRANSFORMATION
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Aracataca, Colombia— Once grappling with high rates of teenage pregnancy and deep-rooted taboos around sexuality, Aracataca has become a model of what’s possible when schools, young people, families, and government all work together to bring conversations on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) into the open.
This small town in northern Colombia is best known as the birthplace of journalist and Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez. It also inspired Macondo, the mythical town in his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. Márquez’s magical realism blurred the line between reality and imagination. Today, Aracataca’s own transformation feels just as powerful: a community once silenced by stigma is now rewriting its story through openness, education, and collective action.
As a parent, I found Valiente transformative…I can proudly say that we are now more open to talking about these kinds of issues with our sons and daughters.
FROM BICYCLES TO BIRTHING PRACTICES
How Riohacha Boldly Upholds Reproductive Health and Rights
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Riohacha, Colombia – During the recent Family Planning News Network (FPNN) reporting trip across Colombia, our team visited Riohacha, a vibrant coastal city set amid striking desert landscapes near the Venezuelan border, and the capital of La Guajira, known for its Wayuu indigenous culture.
Hosted by our partners at UNFPA, we gathered in a community safe space, where we were introduced to a variety of individuals advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and combating gender-based violence through innovative, locally driven initiatives.
Riohacha, Colombia
“The only fuel a bicycle needs is our strength and desire, so I’m going to pedal and pedal to reach other women,” says Angélica, one of the Biciempoderadas.
Learn more about the Biciemopoderas.
By Natalia de León Tello
JUMP BACK TO A CITY:
COMMUNITY REPORTING SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & RIGHTS
COMMUNITY REPORTING: COLOMBIA
Community Reporters across Latin America are reporting on the power of family planning and sexual and reproductive health in Colombia.
Are you a Community Reporter and have a story to share about the power of SRHR in Colombia?