When the Territory Is the Classroom: Health and Justice in Colombia, in the Students’ Own Words

Every year, students from the University of Washington travel to Colombia with Sinergias to learn from the communities themselves. In 2026, the program moved between Bogotá and Popayán, where Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and campesino leaders opened their spaces and knowledge to the young visitors. Here are some of the lessons—both academic and human—they carried back home.

Public Health Colombia: Health & Justice for Indigenous and Afro-Colombians. That is the name of the intensive study-abroad program in Colombia that Sinergias and the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health have run over several years. In it, students from the United States travel to the territory to learn directly from local leaders about health equity, social justice, and community-led policy. Over a couple of weeks, the group meets Indigenous, Afro-Colombian, and campesino organizations, public health institutions, and community leaders, and learns from their knowledge and from attentive observation of the context. In its most recent edition, held in March 2026, the journey moved between Bogotá and Popayán, in the department of Cauca—from a historic public hospital and the memory space of Fragmentos, to the Universidad Autónoma Indígena Intercultural and the community councils of northern Cauca.

We wanted to know what stayed with those who came. Here we share some of their testimonials: words that describe not only an academic experience, but a profoundly human one. They speak of a renewed way of understanding public health, of the barriers that still stand between communities and their right to health, and of lessons that reach well beyond any course. Our gratitude goes to the University of Washington and, above all, to the students who traveled this year, for the honesty and generosity of these reflections.

To the students who shared these words, and to the University of Washington’s Department of Global Health: THANK YOU. Weaving well-being begins with listening—and this year, they listened well.

A renewed vision of public health and interculturality

For many who came, the journey unsettled the very definition of health. Again and again, they describe the same shift: from health as a service delivered from the outside, to health as something woven from culture, territory, and the knowledge each community already holds.

“You cannot do meaningful work in a community without first taking the time to understand its history and culture. This requires a level of intentionality that I don’t think is emphasized enough in academic or professional training. In Colombia especially, where colonial violence, racial hierarchy, and class inequality have shaped the everyday realities of Afro-Colombian, indigenous, and campesino communities for centuries, entering into the space without that historical awareness is extremely harmful. It reproduces the same dynamic (savior complex and white supremacy) where outsiders assume they know best without ever really listening.”

— Tuong Vy Nguyen

“While an anemic child would likely benefit from iron supplements, it can be disrespectful and unrealistic to ask a parent to give up a spiritual tradition or ritual. Even with the offer to add the supplements, the offer should never be forceful (…) As global health professionals, we should always present an option, and let the community know that the resource is there if they would ever like it.”

— Brooklyn Richins

“One of the most important lessons I learned is that meaningful change is collective work. It cannot be achieved by individuals alone. Living in the Global North often promotes the idea that success and progress are individual accomplishments, but I was raised African and American, where community has always been central to survival and joy. (…) My aunt, who owns a daycare, often says, "It takes a village to raise a child." In the same way, it takes a community to create change. Every Sinergias project has a fundamental backbone of community engagement and community-led projects, and making sure the community is involved, and I think that is the way to make these interventions sustainable and actually help the people they’re meant to help.”

— Malanda Clamoungou

“The most meaningful moment for me was the day that we spent at UAIIN. To be able to be a part of the ceremonies and to listen to the students and leaders speak grounded me and ignited my passion for community based public health practice. It enforced my core beliefs that communities MUST be listened to before any intervention or action is taken.”

— Reyna Sundell

“One of my biggest lessons from Sinergias and the other organizations we met in Colombia is that health is never just about the body. It is deeply connected to culture, history, environment, identity, and power. Before this trip, I already understood public health as something broader than hospitals or doctors’ offices, but this experience made that feel real in a much deeper way.”

— Rayyan Cunningham

“As someone who is familiar and loves the community based participatory research framework I love how Sinergias prioritizes the interventions instead of the publications and then hands off the projects to be sustainable in the community (for example the podcast).”

— Reyna Sundell

“I developed a much deeper understanding of what health really means. The most important thing I learned was to understand that health goes far beyond medical care, and that it is deeply connected to social, political, and cultural factors.”

— Frida Olivares Villaseñor

“I am also carrying forward an expanded sense of cultural humility. (…) It affirmed that effective practice requires ongoing learning and a willingness to adapt, rather than relying solely on prior knowledge or training. Most importantly, this experience has reaffirmed my commitment to advocacy, collaboration, and ensuring that the voices of marginalized communities are not only heard but meaningfully centered in the work that I do.”

— Ardreana Thompson

“One member of the Indigenous university advised us to "see what was wrong with our environment before going to a doctor" during the presentation. The Indigenous organizations we spoke with, the Afro-Colombian organization in Cauca, and the Casa Campesina all emphasized the importance of sovereignty on their land and in various ways, being in harmony with nature and having the agency to live according to your family and culture’s traditional practices.”

— Chloe Anderson

An awareness of the barriers to health access

The students also saw, up close, why that right to health is so unevenly met. Their reflections name the structures—privatization, racism, class, the dismissal of ancestral knowledge—that still stand between communities and the appropriate care they deserve.

“Indigenous health practices are more likely to be dismissed and disregarded. Colonial biases actively contribute to these hierarchies, as European-derived knowledge systems are often treated as superior, while Indigenous practices are often seen as "silly" or "illegitimate."”

— Brooklyn Richins

“I believe that the greatest challenge is that the designers of health systems don’t genuinely listen to the communities that they are supposed to serve, and they treat the communities as if they aren’t experts on their own needs.”

— Tuong Vy Nguyen

“There are multiple categories for Afro-descendant communities, many distinct Indigenous communities that are often grouped together, and major differences in experience between people who are poor, wealthy, rural, urban, mestizo, Black, or Indigenous. When systems flatten these differences, they fail people.”

— Rayyan Cunningham

“Throughout this experience, it became clear that access to healthcare is not just about availability of services, but about who those services are designed for and who feels safe using them. Many Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities have historically been excluded from decision-making processes, which leads to systems that do not reflect their cultural values, languages, or needs.”

— Valerie Moran

“One of the most overwhelming yet important challenges (…) is the deeply rooted presence of interconnected systems of oppression and dehumanization. These include colonialism, racism, classism, sexism, capitalism, fascism, and uninformed or harmful political decision-making. Together, these systems have led to ethnic cleansing, displacement, loss of ancestral and cultural ties, loss of identity and territory, and long-lasting trauma that continues to shape health outcomes today.”

— Malanda Clamoungou

“Another major challenge is the lack of focus on prevention and on the social determinants of health—often the priority is treating diseases rather than addressing their causes, such as poverty, violence, or limited access to education.”

— Frida Olivares Villaseñor

“Many of these racially systemic issues mirror the disheartening history of the United States, as both Colombia and the U.S. were part of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The ongoing fights for justice, equality, and social inclusion are strikingly similar. Learning about the violence inflicted upon individuals for physically or verbally identifying as Black felt deeply familiar. I was also able to resonate with ACONC’s description of Black individuals braiding maps into their hair and carrying seeds with them during travel to ensure access to food in unknown destinations. This parallels the experiences of enslaved Black individuals in the American South who sought safety in northern states.”

— Ardreana Thompson

Lessons for their own lives

And, as tends to happen in the territory, the lessons did not stay in the field. Many returned home carrying something more personal: a way of listening, a sense of humility, a different relationship with their own work and their own lives.

“This experience has impacted my academic goals by providing more intellectual knowledge and context on Indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities in another country. I was able to directly learn from communities in person through discussion and hands-on activity, which is something I would have never been able to experience by strictly learning from a textbook. (…) This experience also enhanced my career goals since I am interested in becoming a traveling epidemiologist in the future. As an epidemiologist, it is critical to listen to the perspectives of other communities.”

— Esmma Almousa

“I learned the importance of actively listening before assuming, and I want to apply this in both my personal and professional life.”

— Frida Olivares Villaseñor

“Another sentiment that stuck with me was at Fragmentos about forgiving but not forgetting. My perspective was shifted when I realized that forgiveness doesn’t have to be about the other person at all. It’s really about yourself and refusing to let a wound or a wrong continue to have power over your inner life. Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. It doesn’t mean pretending something didn’t happen or that it didn’t matter, but instead deciding that your future isn’t going to be defined by your worst experiences. That reframe was really meaningful to me, and it’s something I want to hold onto for difficult situations and conflicts in the future.”

— Tuong Vy Nguyen

“This trip showed me that taking care of myself is not separate from my goals, it is part of being able to show up fully in my personal life and future career.”

— Valerie Moran

“As a Black woman, I am frequently told that "we are so strong" and that we "keep pushing no matter what happens to us." While that is true, I do not believe it should be normalized or celebrated that harm continues to happen, and that endurance becomes the expectation. Strength should not have to come from suffering. I see Colombia through a similar lens. Terrible things happened and should never be repeated. Yet, as many people we heard from emphasized, memory matters.”

— Malanda Clamoungou

“I hope to bring back a better understanding of how to support local communities without being paternalistic or ignorant, when confronting social issues that have been created in the US.”

— Cranston Gawin Coke

“As a student preparing to begin my practicum, capstone, and thesis, I will work closely with my site supervisors, professors, etc. to ensure that I am well-informed on the needs of the communities, but also that I engage with people directly involved in the communities. I will check myself to ensure that I’m never stubborn to the point where I’m unable to be humble and learn. As a future working professional, I will actively listen.”

— Brooklyn Richins

“I want to make it a point to think critically about how the ways I practice geology may contribute to inequalities in land sovereignty/usage/environmental degradation, and ways I can reduce harm in that capacity.”

— Chloe Anderson