Mutual aid groups: a community mental health strategy in Antioquia

In Bello, Antioquia, and Comuna 6 in Medellín, the Corporación de Voluntarias Venezolanas (CORPVOLVEN), with support from a grant from Heartland Alliance International, is leading a community-based project by and for Venezuelan migrant women, Colombian returnees, and women from host communities.

Since June 2025, the organization has been implementing the Mutual Aid Groups (GAM) strategy, which has strengthened community mental health care and the exercise of rights.

These groups have brought together 30 women facing challenges such as migration grief, discrimination, unemployment, violence, and isolation from their family networks. In these safe spaces, through workshops, talking circles, art, and cultural gatherings, participants find a place to express their emotions, share experiences, and build collective resilience.

Founded in 2018 by Venezuelan and Colombian returnee women, CORPVOLVEN promotes the slogan: “Find ourselves, train ourselves, and project ourselves.”

Today, its community-based mental health model has become a reference point in the region — not only because it offers emotional support, but also because it provides practical guidance on how to access essential rights in health, education, justice, and social protection.

This process has made it possible to:

• Strengthen community networks that accompany and support participants.
• Connect women with local institutions such as Community Action Boards, justice centers, and social organizations.
• Promote female leadership, recognizing participants as agents of change in their communities.

Each meeting addresses vital topics such as migration grief, self-care in difficult contexts, violence prevention, and cultural integration through gastronomy and shared traditions. Every session not only provides tools for mental health care, but also strengthens women’s autonomy and their ability to exercise their rights.

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Community as a Source of Healing

With this project, CORPVOLVEN demonstrates that mental health is a right —
and that the community itself can be a powerful space to protect,
promote, and sustain it.

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