Colombia_Hawkey_LaGuajira_20260428_0041.jpg

Matilde Sapuana lives in the Wayúu indigenous community of Jamiche, La Guajira, Colombia.

The Wayúu indigenous people of La Guajira, Colombia, have faced decades of displacement, contamination and cultural destruction linked to the Cerrejón open-cast coal mine — one of the largest in the world. Communities report polluted water, failing harvests, and chronic respiratory disease, while remaining excluded from the legal recognition that would give them access to basic rights and state services.

Photo:
Sean Hawkey/WCC
Feature story

Where there is water, there is life: Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia is taking both

Learn more
Latest news
SEE MORE
In depth
  • Feature story
    Colombia_Hawkey_LaGuajira_20260428_0041.jpg

    Where there is water, there is life: Cerrejón coal mine in Colombia is taking both

    On 5 June, churches and faith-based organizations from Colombia, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, together with investment and ecumenical partners, submitted a complaint under the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. The complaint concerns HSBC Holdings plc and its financial relationship with Glencore, the company operating the Cerrejón coal mine in La Guajira, Colombia. This is the third in a feature story series that illustrates the impacts of the Cerrejón mining operation on the environment, water access, and pollution.

    18 August 2026
  • Interview
    Jenny Sprong

    Thursdays in Black thriving in South Africa

    Jenny Sprong is a South African Methodist minister and former social justice coordinator at Diakonia Council of Churches in Durban. She played a central role in keeping the Thursdays in Black campaign alive in South Africa during its “silent years.” In conversation with World Council of Churches (WCC) publications coordinator Lyn van Rooyen, Sprong reflects on a period when the Thursdays in Black campaign seemed to disappear—and why it is thriving in South Africa today. 

    18 August 2026
  • Feature story
    IMG-20260814-WA0001_2

    Bossey alumni reflect on what they carried home

    In a year marking the 80th anniversary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, alumni gathered in Ambon, Indonesia, on mid July, for some informal reminiscing about what they took home from the living laboratory of ecumenism. 

    17 August 2026
SEE MORE