Kaí Süma Wüin: Between Sun and Water
Colombia | Kaí Süma Wüin - Somos el Presente | 2024
¡Hola!
We are Somos el Presente, a youth-led movement working to address water scarcity and environmental challenges in La Guajira. In 2024, we launched Between Sun and Water – Kaí Süma Wüin, a campaign to raise awareness, demand solutions, and mobilize the community and decision-makers to take action. Our mission? To ensure indigenous communities in La Guajira have access to clean drinking water and are empowered to fight for their environmental rights.
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12 to 17 years old
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The Right-Sized Problem
Water scarcity in La Guajira has created social conflicts and deepened environmental challenges. Indigenous communities face extreme water shortages, affecting health, education, and daily life. Without urgent intervention, climate change and policy inaction will continue to threaten their survival.
What did we do?
Through art, music, digital activism, and direct advocacy, we amplified indigenous voices and pushed for change.
Offline Impact
👜 Tote Bag Printing & Distribution – Created and distributed custom tote bags with the campaign logo and key messages, reaching local authorities and community members.
🎥 Audiovisual Storytelling – Children and adolescents created photographs, banners, dramatized videos, and TikToks to illustrate the impact of water scarcity.
🎵 Song & Music Video – Composed and recorded an original song to spread awareness about the crisis through music and art.
💻 Digital Advocacy Station – Set up an interactive station where attendees learned to create social media content and mobilize the campaign online.
🗣️ Intergenerational Dialogue with Decision Makers – Hosted conversations between youth and authorities, presenting their experiences, demands, and calls to action.
Campaign Impact
Increased visibility of La Guajira’s water crisis through storytelling and digital campaigns.
4,137 social media interactions across four reels (comments, shares, and likes).
Billboard campaign reached thousands of residents and policymakers.
Strengthened youth leadership in environmental activism and water rights advocacy.
One of the most powerful moments of the campaign was taking our local campaign from La Guajira to COP16 in Cali where we were able to activate our campaign to a global audience.
What’s Next?
We are scaling up our impact by:
📌 Expanding our digital campaign and media outreach.
📌 Engaging with government agencies for long-term water solutions.
📌 Using storytelling and art to continue pushing for policy change.
