Heroes for Advocacy – Creating New Opportunities for Injured Police in Colombia

Colombian National Police Disabled Persons Organization
Chapter
Colombia

The Heroes for Advocacy project aims to provide the best care and assistance to the disabled population of the Colombian National Police, especially to those officers who have been injured in the line of duty during eradication, interdiction, and rural security operations. With this initiative, the Polus Center seeks to improve the Colombian National Police’s capacity to support these heroes in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Heroes for Advocacy addresses the re-education, employment, and rehabilitation needs of more than 350 members of the Colombian National Police injured in the line of duty during coca eradication, interdiction, and rural security operations. The Polus Center and its partners are helping the CNP build national rehabilitation services capacity and create clear alternative training opportunities and career pathways for injured police.

The Polus Center’s Service Coordination Model helps guide individual beneficiaries on how and where to access services that help disabled police access entitlements, benefits, and rehabilitation services, in addition to identifying their training and employment goals. The Polus Center's well-established landmine/explosive ordinance survivor programs using this model have supported hundreds of conflict survivors in Colombia (especially in Narino, Cauca, Caldas, and Antioquia); in Latin America (Peru, Nicaragua, Honduras), in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Jordan.

Funding for this project is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

  • Polus Center CEO Michael Lundquist talking to participants of the Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • Group of four people standing in room after during Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia.
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • Two men sitting at a table talking during during Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • Three Colombian National Police sitting at table during Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia.
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • Two men using hand cycles at starting line in one of the Heroes for Advocacy cycling races.
    Cycling Race
  • Group of cyclists getting ready to begin race at starting line in one of the Heroes for Advocacy cycling races.
    Cycling Race
  • Two hand cyclists racing in one of the Heroes for Advocacy cycling races.
    Cycling Race
  • People seated at tabled doing one of the exercises as part of Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia.
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • A woman and man participating in one of Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia.
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop
  • Group of people sitting at a table during one of Polus' Model Coherency human service program design workshop in Colombia.
    Model Coherency Human Service Program Design Workshop