Photo Credit: Refugees International
11/24/2007

The community of Acción Social (named mockingly for the agency in charge of assisting the displaced), has reclaimed land from the mangrove swamps that surround Tumaco. Almost all IDP communities in Tumaco have done the same. Houses must be built on stilts, and communities build makeshift “bridges” to connect homes and stay above the mud. The bridges are a necessity, but are considered to be dangerous by almost everyone. Due to rotting wood, people often fall through the planks and break bones. The elderly are often confined to their homes, as they cannot risk walking on the bridges. Children are the largest victims of the bridges, and playing results in dangerous falls.