Censat Agua Viva - Friends of the Earth Colombia

Censat Agua Viva, the Colombian member of FoEI, is an environmental organization founded in October 1989, by people from occupational health service organizations, schools and centers for workers' and popular education, and the environmental movement. Censat advocates for the construction of sustainable societies through strategies for communication, education, research and organizing, and has gained an important place in the public opinion, and is a reference in environmental debates in Colombia. Currently Censat Agua Viva has four thematic programs: 1) Water, Common Good, 2) Mining Conflicts, 3) Energy and Climate Justice, and 4) Forests and Biodiversity, and is present in 14 of the 32 departments of Colombia, where they work together with 71 organizations. Censat’s work centers around five types of activities at local, national and international level: accompaniment of affected communities, popular education and training, research, advocacy and communication. There are currently 24 people employed and one intern in the organization, including program coordinators, a communication officer, an advocacy officer and a finance/administration team. They also have an Assembly of 19 people and a Board of 5 people. Censat has prioritized the development of democratic processes that lead to the knowledge and transformation of social and technical relations and of the conditions of life, work and production that are adverse to health, the environment and the full realization of humanity. Likewise, Censat has historically been committed to the construction and defense of a good life based on relationships of justice, equity and dignity in local and global spaces.