August 2025 – Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Colombia
This summer, 40 women from rural and indigenous areas gained access to contraceptive methods thanks to our family planning sessions.
At Women for Conservation, we assert our commitment to women’s well-being and the protection of nature through our “Healthy Communities for Healthy Habitats” program.
During the months of May and August 2025, we conducted four family planning sessions in the regions of Palmor, Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, Pueblo Bello, Cesar, and Taganga, benefiting 40 women, many of them members of the Kogui indigenous community, who face many barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services.
These activities were carried out alongside Profamilia, ensuring safe, professional care with a diverse approach. We provided free access to modern contraceptive methods: 35 women received temporary Jadelle subdermal implants and 5 underwent Pomeroy surgeries, or tubal ligation, a permanent planning option.
The first session took place on May 15th in the municipality of Pueblo Bello, Cesar, where we served 12 women. Later, on May 23rd, we traveled to Palmor, a district in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where 13 women received the same service. Likewise, on August 2, 10 women from Taganga accessed these services.
Finally, on July 8, we held a surgical session in the city of Santa Marta, transporting seven women from rural areas: four from Palmor, two from Pueblo Bello, and one from El Campano. Thanks to the medical and logistical support provided by our team, five of them safely underwent the Pomeroy procedure, free of charge, while the other two were unable to undergo surgery due to medical considerations identified during the pre-assessment.
Accessing these services in many regions of Colombia remains a challenge. Transportation difficulties, distance from urban centers, lack of financial resources, and, in many cases, lack of health system coverage prevent thousands of women from fully exercising their right to decide about their bodies and their future.
At Women for Conservation, we not only coordinate these events, but we also cover the costs of transportation, food, lodging, and medical care, thanks to the support of our donors. Our goal is to eliminate all possible barriers and ensure that women everywhere have access to this right.
“These brigades have been a historic event,” said Kelly Julio Donado, our program coordinator in the Sierra Nevada.
“It’s no secret that indigenous populations, living far from cities, sometimes lack health insurance plans or institutional support, so Women for Conservation offers this opportunity to families in this territory who have decided to plan their childbearing schedule.”
Our family planning program responds to a comprehensive conservation vision that recognizes the relationship between human well-being, population growth, and pressure on natural resources. Therefore, promoting access to these programs also contributes to the protection of fragile ecosystems like the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet.
In the last three years, Women for Conservation has led more than 2,000 events in support of sexual and reproductive health in different regions of Colombia such as Chocó, Amazonia and the Caribbean, providing educational sessions, implants, vasectomies, tubal ligations and medical check-ups.
We continue to fulfill our commitment to bringing reproductive health, autonomy, and hope to rural and Indigenous women, while working toward more sustainable ecosystems for future generations.
Empowering women, protecting nature!
