The brutal internal armed conflicts in Latin America, affecting particularly Mexico, Guatamala, Peru and Colombia, created huge numbers of internally displaced people (IDP). Most of the conflicts had similar causes – chronic inequality in all areas of life and the grip on political power held by a small number of elites. With the major exception of Colombia, most of the conflicts ended during the last decade.

Colombia remains in a perilous state. There are many guerrilla groups operating in the country, which are defending their drug-related activities and whose violence is the main cause of displacement. The principal group is Farc, which as well as its drugs-related terrorist activities, also wants to overthrow the Colombian government and establish a Marxist-style state.  There are currently over three million IDPs in Colombia, the second highest number in the world after Sudan.

In early 2010 IRT began supporting a community based organisation in Ciudad Bolivar, in the southwestern part of the capital city of Bogotá.

Skills training: Ciudad Bolivar, Bogotá

Skills training for IDPs includes breadmaking, giving the chance to IDPs to get a job in a bakery in the city.The rural area of the Ciudad Bolivar locality covers most of its area. Its urban area concentrates the poorest population in Bogotá where most of Colombia's rural displaced enter the city.

IRT have partnered with a community based organisation called Fundación Cigarra to fund the renovation of a building to be used as a dedicated skills training centre, and the equipment to facilitate training in bread making. As part of the project a co-operative will also be formed where the bread madeComputers skills are essential for IDPs to find employment and empower them in often very difficult situations. will be sold and used to feed the children in Cigarra's ongoing projects. Plans for future projects include expansion of the co-operative through urban agriculture and further training so that delegates from the bread making course may go on to become food technicians for potential employment in the city centre.While their parents are working or at the training fascilities, the little ones are looked after at the day care centre, also part funded by IRT.