Colombia’s five decade effort to push back illegal armed groups and an ongoing fight against drug trafficking took on new vigor when the government launched a multi-year offensive that recovered territory and set the stage for peace. As the government began to reclaim territory, Colombia’s president formed a specialized office— called Acción Social—to coordinate the delivery of assistance to 15 regions recovered from these armed groups and all social services throughout the country.

To reinforce and support Acción Social’s efforts, in 2007 USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives funded Creative’s Initial Governance Response Program that focused on the La Macarena region and Meta Department. It had three primary goals: To strengthen the government’s credibility in the consolidation zones; to increase communities’ willingness to cooperate with authorities; and to boost the delivery of services based on communities’ prioritized needs.

In the region of La Macarena, Creative’s Programa Progreso initiative rolled out a strategy with farmers and ranchers in 169 villages to improve their existing products, production and value chains. It collaborated with formal and informal organizations as a conduit to reach the small-scale producers.

For example, in Vista Hermosa, a municipality of approximately 21,000 residents, Programa Progreso undertook 36 projects that revolved around seven main lines of production, such as honey and rubber.

It created 27 associations and engaged 10 existing ones in making well-informed, calculated decisions that improved the quality of production, strengthened value chains and increased income. The intervention benefited more than 8,700 residents—41 percent of the municipality’s population—and created 290 new jobs.

For the Colombian government, its role and legitimacy grew among the residents through an active presence and consultation process. Through eight coordinating meetings (with an average of 100 participants in each gathering), the government engaged residents in decisions. Separately, government officials were present in more than 220 meetings in Vista Hermosa.

In both the La Macarena region and Meta Department, the Initial Governance Response Program provided 700 short-term grants that averaged about $40,000 to promote private enterprise. The funds were matched by cash and in-kind resources from the Colombian national and local governments, as well as community members and the private sector.