25 May 2021 Communication rights on wheels  

Is it…a Popemobile? No, more like a Pressmobile created by Grupo Comunicarte, a longtime WACC project partner based in Colombia.

As part of a migration project supported by WACC and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), Grupo Comunicarte was supposed to establish a community media and ICT centre for migrants.

“However, the probability of the equipment being stolen/vandalized at night is quite high, especially with all the anti-government protests in Colombia right now, so Alma Montoya, Grupo Comunicarte director, and her team decided to establish a “mobile broadcasting station” by repurposing an old truck, installing glass walls,  and loading it up with equipment,” says Lorenzo Vargas, WACC Communication for Social Change manager.

The “Pressmobile” will visit the most marginalized neighbourhoods in Bogota, where Venezuelan migrants pay US$5 a night for a place to sleep before heading out into the city to earn a living, to provide migrants with access to ICTs and a chance to tell their stories.

“Migrants will also be given support so they can fill out immigration forms to obtain legal status, which means this initiative will have significant impact. This is remarkable and innovative, and a true example of communication rights in action,” adds Vargas.